Chapter 8

Tormented becomes the tormentor.

Just a quick synopsis of the story so far, Christine and Erik fled the Opera Populaire, Raoul, angry that Christine betrayed him and ran off with Erik he is sure of it, is tracking them, trying to find them. They escape by hopping on a train, get to a small village outside Paris where Christine finds lodging at a Pension on the edge of the village where they left the train. Erik climbs to her window and they are at the Pension Au Derlie planning their next move. They craft a letter to draw suspicion upon Raoul as to the whereabouts of Christine. The Gendarme already believe that she perished in the fire, so they are not taking Raoul as more than a heartbroken spoiled rich kid. Raoul, thoroughly fed up leaves town sure they have by now left the city. Christine, on trying to find a courier to take the note to Paris for the Gendarme, is offered the head of the Paris's Gendarme's daughter as the worthy courier. They cannot allow that, so they send her on her way. When Christine is opening the door to the courier interviewee, she catches a glimpse of the unmistakable Raoul walking down the hall away from her. She is in a panic over this, as Erik is a bit alarmed to the sight of the daughter of the Gendarme head in Paris, Richard Dela Roux They have much to ponder and are no longer safe to try to leave during daylight hours, they stress them selves to the breaking point over their puzzle, and break for a bit. We pick them up here still finishing their plans, oh yah, and Erik doesn't know that Raoul is at the Au Derlie by them.

Putting the note she had stumbled on back where it came from, Christine decided it was time to get dressed, so she put Erik's shirt back down and retrieved her clothing. Better to wait until later to clarify questions regarding that note. Christine was wondering if they could escape Raoul's gaze even in the cover of darkness. She was sure that they would be found and all the plans would be foiled. Nay, their very lives would be foiled. She decided it was time to tell Erik who she saw when that Dela Roux girl came to the door. Christine still needed to thank the Mademoiselle at the front desk for offering her niece to be her courier. Even though she did not end up employing the services of Mademoiselle's niece, the suspicion would grow if she did not say anything.

"Erik, we need to talk. We have a couple of problems we need to work out; I was hesitant to tell you of the one problem before, though I feel that now is the time to tell you."

Erik looked at Christine rather confused, could there be lingering doubts where he was concerned. NO, he was just being too sensitive. He needed to assume nothing until he was given a reason to. "What is on your mind, Christine?"

"Well, when the Dela Roux girl came to enquire as to the job of courier, I noticed someone in the hallway, which was why I pulled the young Mademoiselle into the room, risking knowledge of you in here. Erik, it was Raoul, I am certain of it, he was walking rather briskly in the opposite direction."

Erik looked at Christine as if he could not believe the fortune of having him there in the same Pension as they themselves were in. His mind was working fast as to what he could be doing to cut this fight short and go on with things at last. Then he processed the realization that she knew he was there and didn't tell him immediately, that troubled him, maybe there were feelings there that lingered even after their trysts. Was he a morbid fascination that she could not bear to leave yet, or was the love she felt for him real? He was starting to get that sick sensation that all was not as he had thought it was once more. He could barely disguise the anger and frustration from his voice when he spoke;

"You knew and you didn't tell me, why this changes everything, we can end this little drama now, no more elaborate schemes, we can simply duel over mademoiselle, I am sure that you would be well served by either him or me. You won't suffer either way. Very well, then, I shall procure a sword, we shall send a note to him, and meet at sunrise for a duel to the death."

"Erik, this is what I was afraid of, you promised, no more killing. There is no reason to kill Raoul, maybe he will find someone else someday. He just needs to realize that you were my choice, I am sure then he will have to let me go."

"It will be better to kill him; his passion for you can die then too! I will have no shadow hanging over us, Christine." His eyes glittered dangerously when he spoke now.

"No, you cannot go back on your word, my God, I only thought that we would work harder to ensure he didn't see us if you knew, not that you would draw this to it's conclusion with murder, not when I trusted you!"

"Well Christine, I have been known to be a patient man, but where our last few days are concerned, I will protect what I know now until the death, and I shall not ever let anyone threaten it! Raoul living will always be a threat to that, we must choose what we desire and make it, so, what shall it be, Christine?"

She saw her world crumbling, just like that; cold fingers of terror were grasping her heart making her breath come now in shallow gulps. She was nearing hysteria, for though her love for Raoul was not even comparable to what she felt for Erik, it, nonetheless, existed, and she could not be party to his demise. She could not see Erik killed, and she could not imagine watching Raoul walk into a trap or die in a duel.

"Erik, I can't see this happen, don't you think that it would be better if we broke his spirit where I was concerned and he saw that I loved you, so he would go away and make a life for himself with someone else? We don't have the right to just end his life with no thought to a future for him. That is what makes murder such an unforgivable crime. Please Erik, think about this."

"Oh, my dear, I have, many times, I have also tried very hard NOT to think about this, but it keeps coming back to the same place, doesn't it? What to do about Raoul? I will exact my revenge on him not respecting our relationship, leaving well enough alone when he still had the chance."

Christine began,"I could have left Raoul alone, too, but I didn't. I fed the relationship by agreeing to meet him and by agreeing to marry him, are you going to turn on me some day, too?"

Erik looked at Christine with such pain in his eyes "I could never turn on you. You are probably the only person in the world who could stab me dead while all I did is look helplessly at you."

Christine began to cry. How could things ever resolve? This was not going to be a happy ending, not at all; slowly she felt her grip on reality slipping away. She could not go out of the room, for fear that she would see Raoul, she could not bear the tension in the air in this room much longer, and she could not simply forget what was about to happen. There was no way out, now. Christine gazed at the window, dusk was here at long last. She had to get out, maybe she could go out the way that Erik had come in. She just needed to think for a while. Christine stepped over to the window and opened it up. Erik watched her, confused as to what she intended to do…

"Christine, what are you doing?"

"I need to get away for a bit, I feel like I am strangled in here right now. I will come back in a bit, I just need to clear my head. I don't want to walk out the front doors; I hope that I can get down the same way you got up."

"I don't think that they are working on the soffits yet, so it would not be so easy to get down without the catwalks."

"Oh, well, I don't care right now, Erik, don't you see that. I don't know what I can do anymore to show you how much I love you; you are not willing to believe in anyone's integrity but your own. You are so willing to condemn me for my human flaws, but you fail to see yours. I am so frustrated right now, I don't care if I live or die. Death would almost be easier then this jealousy you have."

"Don't talk that way, death is never the answer, especially not for you. You must be strong, Christine. Very well, if you need some time alone, I shall leave the room. I have much more practice at stealth movements, and I can then prowl the village and see if I can catch a glimpse of our "court-ly" friend."

"Erik, you will grow angry and hurt or kill Raoul if you do that, you can't be the one to leave right now, not as angry as you are. I don't know if I can believe your promises anymore either, after the way you talk now!"

"Too late, I am off, my dear, I shall see you later. Be ready for travel when I return, we shall bid our leave then. Very well, I am off."

"Erik wait… " Christine yelled, but it was too late, Erik was out the window and gone before her eyes. Now she sat there crying, so unsure of what to expect next. Really there was not much to do to see to it things were ready for them to take their leave. It was rather silly to be here anymore. If only she had gotten them out and away without having to say that she saw Raoul. If Erik would have found out later, she could only imagine how angry he would have become then. The weight of the burden they must lift became unbearable, she wanted only to sleep, keep the thoughts from clogging her mind for a while. Christine went over to the bed and sat. She then lay back and closed her eyes. She could feel Erik all around her, she needed him to feel whole, but she was confused by how little she was able to accept him light and dark, totally. There was such a dark place in him, she feared she would never be enough to extinguish that place, make him a whole human. She longed to try, but feared she would never see him again. "Oh God, please keep Erik safe, I really fear more for Erik now then I do Raoul. Until now Erik was dangerous, now I feel that Raoul would be more dangerous should they meet." Then a light flickered in the darkness she felt in Erik, a thought she had not had before. Of course Erik had thought of that, this is probably what he is doing, even as she lay there thinking. He was brilliant, he would think something so simple, and build a whole complicated plan out of that simple thought. She finally rested and was able to sleep. She knew all would be ok, Erik would return to her soon, he had to.

Sidenote here, thanks to Nicki for reviewing this for me before I posted this chapter. I really appreciate your support and encouragement. Hope you enjoy, I also got 9 done. Thanks again. MaryKate.