A/N: Love is a strange and mysterious entity. It is always there – hovering and torturing one's soul. Why must it condemn me? Will it ever set me free as it has many others? Maybe this is the start of my journey. Maybe this is where things will change. Hopefully Phoenix has captured how I feel. Enjoy this chapter. And as always, read and review. After Light has ended, Phoenix assures me that she has started a brand new Phantom story. Please continue to read her work. It is a true joy to work with someone like her. The stage is yours.

With much love,

Erik

Chapter 42 – Cracks in the Ice

Angelina walked with little purpose through the streets of Paris. Over the past weeks, Angelina had not felt sadness when she saw the dance company on stage performing the new opera. No pangs of jealousy entered her when she saw Brigitte take center stage once again.

All was right with the world. It had only been several weeks since she had saved the boy from the traveling caravan. Her soul felt free and alive for the first time. Feeling as though she accomplished something, she continued to go to Erik to receive lessons. Erik had hinted here and there about letting Arnaud know about the boy, Angelina refused to hear anything of it. Her decision would stand and there would be no regrets.

Her days and nights had been filled with laughter and song. Erik had made her happier than she ever had been in a very long time. She had never seen him smile so much. It seemed as though a part of him had been set free. Angelina feared to ask him what had changed. But she reveled in the warmth of it. It made her happy to see Erik feel alive.

"Watch out!"

Angelina was knocked out of her thoughts as a Parisian shouted to her. Traveling at a fast rate, a carriage seemed to be out of control. The horse that drew it seemed to have been frightened by something. The driver continued to try and keep a hold of the reigns but did not seem to be slowing the horse any.

The street Angelina was standing on was narrow and there would not be enough room for the carriage to pass by her. Angelina quickly jumped out of the way and lost her balance. The ground beneath her gave way and she tumbled down the side of the hill.

Angelina's scream pierced the air as the ice she landed on began to crack.

"Do not move!"

She watched as the man who had shouted to her began racing toward her. The ice continued to moan under her and she watched as cracks began to form around her. Pain racked her. Her body had hit the ice harder than she first thought.

"Please, Monsieur! Help me!"

The man continued toward her as Angelina screamed. The ice gave way and swallowed her into the frigid water below. Her tiny hands clawed to reach the surface. By the time she found her way to the top, the ice had already formed over the hole she fell through.

Her breath was leaving her body. She was longing to gasp for oxygen. Coldness surrounded her and wanted to drag her to the dark depths below. She could see the man above her desperate trying to break through the ice.

Her lungs were burning and her mind was quickly growing dark. The last thing she heard was the ice being broken through. Darkness claimed her as she began to fall.

"Quickly!"

An arm grasped her but she was too cold to realize it. Her body was quickly brought through the small hole the man had made.

"Who is she?"

"I believe I know. We must act quickly. She does not have much time."

"Madam Giry!"

Madam Giry quickly turned and watched as Rene ran with a young woman in his arms. As he began to grow closer, she recognized the figure.

Angelina…

Water dripped onto the floor as Rene held out Angelina to her. "She fell in the river. Two men saved her. I have tried everything, Madam. I cannot get her warm."

"We must bring her to Erik."

Rene's eyes went wide and looked upon Madam Giry in disbelief. "Erik?"

"I know you know him, Rene. If you wish to save Angelina, we must bring her to him. He will know what to do."

Madam Giry knew there was no time to spare. Angelina was paler than she would have liked. She feared that it was too late to save Angelina. Her body temperature was below what it should be.

"Lead the way, Madam."

Without hesitation and thought, they quickly moved into Angelina's room and pulled back the mirror. The corridor before them was long and dark. Today it would seem longer than usual.

"Come, we must hurry."

Madam Giry quickly stepped in front of him and grabbed a lit torch. It shrouded Angelina in darkness but lit the way for both Madam Giry and Rene.

Erik wrote furiously as he paced. The music he wrote was not turning out the way he had it in his head. The notes would usually write themselves but it seemed as though they were being restrained somehow.

"Erik!"

Quickly looking up, he watched as Madam Giry stepped from the staircase. Rene followed soon after. He seemed to be carrying someone in his arms. Erik's heart stopped once he saw who was in Rene's care.

Angelina…

The sheets of parchment dropped from his hands as he raced toward Rene. Madam Giry watched the expressions on Erik's face. Taking her from Rene's arms, he began toward his bedroom.

"She fell in the river, Erik. The man who rescued her told me that she jumped out of the way of an out of control carriage. The dirt beneath her gave way…"

"How long was she in the river?"

"Erik?" Rene could not think.

"How long was she in the river!"

"A few moments."

Madam Giry and Rene quickly followed Erik into the bedroom. Erik gently put Angelina on the sheets. The silk under her was cold and she shivered. Pulling the sheets from under her, he tossed them to the floor.

"Madam Giry, if you would find me some blankets. These sheets will not help."

Without a word, Madam Giry did as she was told. Rene stood there helpless as Erik removed the drenched cloak from Angelina's body. Throwing it on the floor, Erik looked at how helpless she looked. Her lips were still blue and her skin a deathly white.

"Rene, do you carry a knife?"

"Yes…"

"Give it me."

There was no time to untie every tie on the dress and corset. The wet clothes needed to be removed from her body without delay. Rene handed Erik the blade. Erik's hand hesitated.

Madam Giry rushed into the room with the blankets. Moving onto the bed beside Angelina, she began to quickly cover Angelina with them. Noticing Erik's frightened expression, she noticed the blade in his hand. Grasping Erik's hand, she turned his face toward him.

"Keep the blankets over her. You do not need to see anything."

Erik nodded his head and began to cut the cloth from her body. Madam Giry held the blankets against Angelina's cold and damp frame. Turning away from Angelina, Erik stood and walked over to Rene. He could hear the damp clothes hit the floor. Turning, he watched as Madam Giry covered Angelina in the blankets.

Madam Giry walked over to the two men that held Angelina in the highest of regards. "You must stay with her, Erik. She will be hot one minute and cold the next. You must keep the blankets on her."

"Of this I know, Madam."

"Come Rene, she will be safe."

Madam Giry and Rene began out. Erik stood in the same spot for what seemed like an eternity. Finally gathering the strength, he approached the bed. Angelina's lips had finally turned back to a somewhat normal color.

Moving onto the bed, Erik stripped himself of his waist coat and shoes. Grabbing a spare blanket, Erik began to dry her hair, using it as a towel. She began to stir and started to try to kick the blankets from her body.

"No, Angelina…" Using his hands, he kept the blankets tight around her. "…you must keep them on."

"Cold…I am so cold."

Drawing her close, Erik held onto her. He tried to give her the warmth that she needed but it seemed to be having the opposite effect. Erik was receiving warmth that he never thought possible.

"Erik…" In a dreamlike state, Angelina put her tiny hand on his chest and over his heart. She listened to his heart beat. It was a steady rhythm that willed her to hang on.

"Shh…Angelina, you are safe. I am not leaving you."

"So cold…"

Not being able to take any more of her pleas, Erik lifted her from the bed and into his arms. He quickly wrapped the blankets around her, gently touching the soft bare skin on her back. It sent shivers down his spine. Angelina snuggled against him, taking in the warmth from his body. Erik gently began to rock her until he was absolutely sure that she was asleep.

Hours had passed since Angelina was brought to him. Color had begun to return to her cheeks and her lips had gone back to the deep rose color Erik had been accustomed to.

She had tossed and turned most of the time and Erik began to become fearful that she would never wake. Moving to his organ, and leaving her side, he began to play for her. He tried to listen to hear if there was any rustling of the sheets and there had been none. The music calmed her and assured her she was safe.

As he moved back into the bedroom, he could not believe the sight before him. Angelina was turned onto her side, her back facing the doorway. The blankets saw fit to cover the parts it needed to. Her milky white skin seemed to gleam in the candlelight. Erik could tell her chest was rising and falling with the beating of her heart.

Quietly approaching, Erik sat on the bed beside Angelina. His gloves had been removed hours before, gently caressing her cheeks to assure her he had not left her side. His hand hovered over the bare skin. Wanting to touch it, he knew that it would not be in his best interest.

A touch, Erik. That is all it is.

His right hand pressed against her back and he heard her sigh. Without thought, he slowly began caressing the perfect skin. There was not a blemish or an imperfection anywhere on her back.

As Angelina turned the slightest bit, the blanket fell farther down her body and revealed the one thing Erik never thought he would see…

The scar.

It was just as Angelina said it was. The scar lingered from the top of her chest and nearly down to the top of her hip. No doctor should have ever had to make an incision such as that. Erik knew that the scar would stretch as Angelina began to grow. But it was a scar that no woman should ever have on her body. It was a deep red toward the top and seemed to fade toward the bottom. The incision had been deep. It did not leave the flesh flat and whole. The scar, in fact, seemed to bubble and tear.

Tears came to his eyes as he continued to look at the scar. No wonder she had told him that she had her own scars to bear. He could feel the muscles in her back restrict as his cold hand moved from her back to the scar. She tensed for the briefest of moments. But soon, Angelina reacted to the touch, bringing her body against his hand. His hand did not stop. It continued down her body, causing her to sigh. Moving across the scar, Erik found it did not stop just above her hip. Continuing down the trail, he found that it continued over the firmness of her stomach.

Had Angelina lied to him? Was there more to the story then she was telling? Erik believed her when she said that she had heart problems when she was a child. But scars such as these did not come from an operation.

Caressing her stomach, Erik brought her close to him. He was not a surgeon but knew that the incisions of a doctor would be more precise and not leave marks such as these. The de Chagnys were distinguished people. They would not bring their daughter to a doctor that would butcher her body.

Rising from the bed, Angelina sighed at the loss of his touch. Covering her with the blanket, thoughts consumed Erik.

Who would do such a thing to a child? How had she received the scars? Would Angelina tell him the truth?

Why should she tell you the truth when you will not tell your story?

Moving out into the main part of the lair, he walked down the stairs from the bedroom and over to a velvet curtain. Pulling it back, a large full size mirror hung in front of him.

You are a monster!

Kill the Opera Ghost!

We must destroy him!

Look at his face!

Erik cringed as the voices seemed to echo all around him. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he was no longer the teacher that Angelina had come to know. He was a frightened and alone man that was nothing more than a monster. Stripping his shirt, he looked at the perfected chest. There was not an imperfection on his body. He had made sure that he was in shape and that his face was the only thing that was horrifying about him.

His hand hesitated at the edge of his mask. He had seen Angelina's imperfections. Although it was a scar he was sure she despised, he found it to be beautiful and did not take away from her beauty. Would she think the same of him?

It is time to find out…

Removing the mask and wig, Erik looked at the sight before him. The right side of his face was horrifying, even to him. His eye seemed to droop and fade into the ripples of his face. It was as if he were a wax figure that did not dry right. A mannequin that did not make it to a shop window. Placing his hand on it, he ran his fingers over the skin that had terrified Christine. The loss of hair was minimal. It was his face that he was most concerned about.

He could not deny what he was any longer. Angelina had to know. He had seen her scars it was time for her to see his.

When she wakes, I will tell her. I will tell her of my deformity. If she runs, then there is nothing I can do. She must know.