A/N: I hope you guys like this chapter. I'm sorry for the errors in them. I'm trying to update previous chapters and am trying to fix them. Any of the lyrics you find I'm actually taking from the Phantom of the Opera Screenplay Book. So they're accurate, at least according to the book. Let me know if you guys find any more! It will help a great deal.

Please read and review and enjoy!

Chapter 20 – Practice Makes Perfect

The opera house had fallen to sleep. Everything inside had made no noise. In its slumber, the opera house made no changes but sat in darkness. Shadows danced but remained silent.

Disturbing the silence and slumber of the opera house, were the sounds of ballet shoes hitting the old wooden floor of the stage. Step-by-step the shoes made a different sound with every tap. A candle lit several of the lamps along the front of the stage, illuminating the center of it.

A figure sat upon the floor, finishing the lacing of their ballet slippers. Tying the last bow, the figure stood and a shadow cast upon the floor. No music seem to be needed as the figure began to dance in the light and then pirouette into the darkness. The figure did not seem to be bothered by the fact that darkness seemed to be taking over everything around it.

The figure fell to its knees and began to weep. Sorrow had overcome it just as the darkness had.

"Do not cry, my child."

The figure's head slowly began to rise at the sound of Erik's voice.

"We will practice together."

He appeared out of the darkness. Erik stood off to the side of the figure and looked down.

"Rise, Angelina."

With his hand held out, Angelina took a hold of it and stood with his support. She did not let go of his hand in fear of losing him again. He was dressed in a simple pair of black pants and a white shirt that had the top few buttons open exposing his chest. His white mask complimented it perfectly along with his jet black hair. She looked down and noticed nothing on his feet. Did he plan to dance barefoot? Or dance at all?

"Take off your shoes."

She shook her head no. Angelina did not want him to see how badly her feet were injured. She had done it to herself for punishment. It did not seem like enough. The pain still hung around her. The pain she inflicted upon herself did not overcome the pain in her heart.

Slowly letting go of her hand, Erik bent down to her feet and began untying the laces around her legs.

"Erik, please…"

"Shhh…you cannot wear these."

He finished unlacing the ties and slowly slipped off the slippers. Hot tears fell upon his shoulder as he looked up and saw Angelina crying. The bruises and cuts upon her feet were horrible. He knew why she had done this and wished he could have saved her sooner. Erik was as much to blame as she was. He had let her down and in turn she had punished herself for his wrong doing.

His touch was gentle over her small and delicate feet. The bruises had just started to begin to heal but the cuts seemed to continue to open after continued use of the ballet slippers. He looked up at her with sadness in his eyes. His hands grasped her waist as he stood in front of her.

"What have you done to yourself?"

"I have let you down. I have let myself down. I have let everyone down."

"You have not let me down. And the doubts you feel about yourself must be overcome by you alone. I cannot help you there."

She nodded her head and looked down at her feet. Sobs racked her body after finally seeing the sight. Punishment. That is all she wanted to do to herself. She had failed herself and her dreams. Her soul slowly died through the entire process and she did not know how to restore it.

"Please, Erik, forgive me."

"I have nothing to forgive you for. You have learned the lesson on your own. This was one I could not teach you."

He embraced her, holding her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around him, leaning on his chest and listening to his heart beat. Erik had never done this with Christine. It was an entirely new sensation. The sensation was unbelievably pleasant. He did not want to let her go. She had fit right into his embrace and it had seemed so right.

Leaning next to her ear he whispered. "You must practice if you are to perform in a week's time."

She slowly pulled back from his embrace and looked at him. Did he truly expect her to perform in this special show? She was unprepared and had not practiced at all. She only stood to disappoint him once again.

"I do not want to disappoint you. I have told Madam Giry that I will not be performing."

"You will tell her tomorrow morning that you will be."

"Erik, I have not practiced. I will only disappoint you once again."

"You will disappoint me if you do not perform. Now tonight, and for every night until the performance, you and I will practice your routine."

"You cannot dance ballet, Erik. You might be able to sing but you cannot dance."

"You do not know the talents I possess."

Once again, holding out his hand, Erik looked at her and smiled. Angelina had not noticed, until that moment, how captivating it was just to look at Erik. She had fallen under his spell and had not found anything to break it. Taking his hand, he spun Angelina into his arms and leaned her back, causing her to look up at him.

"You underestimate your teacher."

Taking her body weight, Angelina lifted her legs and flipped herself to stand right side up, still holding onto his hand. She bowed in front of him and looked at him with a smile on her face. She ignored the pain from her feet and let his smile heal her.

"And you underestimate your student."

They had practiced for several hours. Angelina had finally regained her confidence and found that Erik truly did know how to dance. He had lifted her and spun her better then half of the male dancers in her company. Erik truly was a man of many talents – although it really didn't surprise her. It had caused her to smile all too often and he had caught her every time. He must think me mad!

No one, not even Jonathan, had caused her to smile as much as he made her. Erik had a hold over her that no one else possessed. There were secrets held within her that she longed to tell him. Fear consumed her and forced her to keep them to herself. Would the fear ever disappear enough for her to be able to tell him what lied inside?

She did not know what time it was but her body had begun to ache and grow tired. Her legs finally gave out and Erik had picked her up before she hit the hard floor. She was not light, by any means, but he carried her as though she was as light as a feather.

Thinking that he would take her back to his lair, he carried her to her room instead. He gently put her into the bed, paying careful mind to her feet. Before he covered her, he disappeared into the darkness. Her eyes grew heavy, and before he would return, and shut. Sleep carried her into her never ending dream world.

Erik had returned to her room, leaving Angelina for only a few moments. In his hand he carried a bowl of water, a rag, and some bandages to take care of the cuts on her feet. As he entered her room, he nearly dropped the bowl of water. Regaining his composure, he looked at the sight before him. Smiling, as he did earlier in the night, he looked at the angel sleeping in the bed.

Quietly closing the door behind him, he walked over to the bed and sat at the foot of it. He did not want to wake her but took care of the sores on her feet, bandaging them right after cleaning them. He looked at her slender frame as he brought the blanket up to cover her.

Angelina was not as small as her mother but her body had curves her mother did not possess. Her skin was darker as were her eyes. She was definitely not Christine. As much as it pained him to say it, he saw more of Raoul in her then Christine. The eyes were his as was the laugh. Erik recalled it too well as he used to hear him laugh around Christine all the time.

Erik sat next to her and watched her chest rise and fall with every breath she took. He followed her neck up to her beautiful lips. Remembering the only kiss he ever had, Erik began to wonder what it would be like to kiss Angelina. Christine had kissed him to save herself and to save Raoul. It had been the death of him. It had broken his soul like nothing else had ever done. Christine knew what she did and it caused him to free both the love of his life and the man of her dreams. It would damn him for all eternity. Would kissing Angelina set him free?

No! Erik, you are thinking with the mind of a love sick boy. Regain your dignity. Return to your lair and ignore her before you hurt yourself once again.

But his heart reminded him that it was not her lips that captivated him. It was her eyes that held him near to her. Her eyes seemed to be the windows to not only her soul but his soul as well. Although closed, Erik remembered her sky blue eyes and how they looked at him with respect and admiration. Could they ever look at me with something else? He dreamed of a day when there could possibly be more between the two of them. But that's all it was – a dream.

He gently put a hand to her face and her body began to stir. He was about to take it away when she pressed her cheek into his hand further. Something stirred inside of him. Taking a chance, Erik gently moved her over and lied down next to her. She did not move as dreams took her away from reality. Erik did not need dreams tonight. His dream was lying next to him with no idea he was lying next to her.

It was only moments before Erik's eyes closed and sleep overtook him. A smile lingered on his face as his dreams drifted to the woman who lied beside him.