Everyone loves drama and more of it is about to come, so buckle your seat belts everyone it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Seeing as Erik and Christine weren't given middle names I got creative.

Chapter 18: Consequences and Peacefulness

Mitch gave Brittney a long, hard stare. "Brittney, do you have any idea what you did?"

Brittney looked over at Erik. "Yes, I know what I did and I'm sorry, but I had to do it. I was trying to protect someone."

"Well I can understand, but I don't know how the security will react to this. Pulling the fire alarm is a federal charge Brittney and the last thing I would want is one of the teens on this floor to get in trouble," Mitch exclaimed.

"Well either way Mitch someone will be getting in trouble."

Students were coming back into the building and Meg and Nadir stopped outside the door. "Erik, are you okay?" Meg asked gently.

Erik could only look up sadly before turning away. Brittney kneeled down next to him and had him turn on his left side, so she could check the right side of his face where it was bruising and turning purple. Pulling the comforter up around his lower half till he calmed down she kissed his cheek, then got up to wet a cloth.

Seeing as they weren't needed Meg and Nadir walked back to Meg's room to wait until they were called for. They didn't want to get in the way.

Propping himself up on his elbow Erik watched her. "Brittney?" he asked softly.

"What is it Erik?"

"Are you mad at me?"

Brittney turned around with the cloth in her hand and came over to him. "No, I'm not mad at you. You did nothing wrong. Its Christine I'm upset with taking advantage of you like that." She kneeled next to the bed and let out a sigh before she placed the washcloth on his face.

Erik lowered his gaze and tried to focus on a spot on the floor while Brittney tended to him. He could feel the pain in his face, but he tried his best not to flinch afraid to show her it hurt.

"Excuse us, but is this the room of Erik Destler?" a voice asked from the doorway.

Brittney looked up and Erik followed her gaze. Two security officers and Mitch stood there watching them with careful eyes. Erik began to sit up, but Brittney rested a hand on his shoulder and had him stay where he was. "This is."

"May we speak with him please?"

Erik felt as if a rock had been inserted into his stomach as he looked up at the officers. "Is it okay if she stays in here when I talk to you? I'd feel a lot better if she could."

"If it will help make this any easier for you then it's okay. I'm sure this will be a very touchy subject for you."

Brittney sat down on the bed and held Erik's hand as the officers and Mitch came into the room and closed the door behind them. Mitch took a chair and sat down.

"Now we'll go slowly to make sure we get everything we need and not have to go through it a second time. We'll start with you," the female officer said pointing at Brittney. "Give us your full name."

"Brittney Elizabeth Peters."

"And it was made aware to us by your CA that you pulled the fire alarm earlier this evening."

"That's true ma'am."

"And what was your reason for doing so?"

"Well I was coming to see Erik after break and I heard shouts and struggles coming from the room. I couldn't get in, because the door was locked, so I figured the only way to get either of them to come out was to pull the fire alarm." Purposely she left Meg out of this, because this wasn't Meg's problem as much as it was hers.

"Well I see how it can be an effective idea, but still it will take money and time to reset the fire alarm. This time we'll let you off with a warning, but next time it's going to cost you."

Brittney felt ashamed, but Erik leaned his head against her arm trying to make her feel better. She looked down at him and ran her hand over his head. "Thank you," she whispered quietly.

"Now Erik do you feel ready to tell us what happened?" the female officer asked as she finished writing some things down in her notebook.

Looking around at those in the room Erik nodded slowly. "I might as well get it over with."

"Now tell us your full name and the name of who did this to you."

"My name is Erik Charles Destler and the person who did this to me is Christine Marie Daae."

The officer wrote the names down in her notebook. "All right now Erik I want to take this one step at a time. If you feel uneasy about something just take your time and allow yourself to feel more confident before you start again."

It took nearly an hour for Erik to retell the event. Halfway through it he burst into tears and Brittney cradled him to her telling him everything was all right now. When Erik finished he was a wreck with his hair in his face and the mask started to slip down his nose.

"Alright we have all the information we need. We'll look into this right away and get back to you with any information we find."

"Thank you," Brittney said giving the mask a small push before it could totally slip off.

Mitch and the officers left the room no doubt moving down the hall to question Christine, but no more than two minutes had passed before they passed the door again and left. It was obvious that Christine hadn't returned from the fire drill.

Erik, now finally relaxed, curled himself around behind Brittney and rested his head on her leg. She looked up at the wall as her hand wondered up and down Erik's side in hopes to calm him. He had been through so much and didn't deserve the treatment he had received. Suddenly her stomach growled due to the fact that she hadn't eaten dinner yet. Then she heard another growl from somewhere else and she looked down to see Erik grinning.

"I guess we're hungry," he said quietly.

"But I don't really want to go down there. I'd rather stay here with you and just calm down from today's events. You must know what a joy it is to have you back with me."

"Not as much a joy it is for you as it is for me. I missed you something terrible."

Brittney scooted back bringing Erik with her till she was resting with her back against the wall. Pushing aside the comforter she slipped her arms under Erik's and pulled him up to lean against her. She felt like a mother protecting her child as she gently stroked his neck.

After awhile Meg popped her head in the door and smiled. "I can't help it, but aw that is so cute."

Brittney looked up and smiled while Erik remained with his eyes closed against her chest. "Sorry if the officers walked in on you without warning Meg."

"Oh, no problem Britt, but both Nadir and I have no idea where Christine hurried off to. On top of that what will happen if they find her?"

"My guess is they put her in a different area on campus and give her a restraining order in which if she comes anywhere near Erik she'll get arrested."

"I see, but did you tell them about what Christine did to you?"

"No, I didn't. I pushed that memory back so far in my mind that I completely forgot about it. Besides she can't touch me if I'm near Erik."

"But Erik won't always be there to protect you," Meg said quietly seeing as Erik was close to falling asleep.

"I know, but it's better than nothing. Hey are you and Nadir going to the café soon?"

"Yeah, why?"

Brittney dug into her pocket pulling out her mavcard then retrieved Erik's. "Can you bring the two of us bag lunches for dinner? I don't think we'll be going anywhere for awhile."

"Sure I can do that. Then when we come back Nadir and I can stop back and keep you company. We both understand how hard for Erik this is and that he could use a good sleep with his girlfriend looking out for him."

"Thanks Meg you're a lifesaver."

"You owe me one," Meg said with a giggle as she left the room.

Brittney smiled and wrapped the comforter around Erik's body as his breathing slowed and he made another attempt to snuggle against her. "I promise you Erik that Christine will never hurt you again. I may not be strong or very brave, but I'll protect you. I will always protect you."

xxxxx

Sometime later Meg and Nadir arrived with two bag lunches and set them down on the counter. The television had been left on and Brittney had fallen asleep along with her Phantom. Meg went over and gently tapped Brittney's shoulder. "Hey wake up. We brought you dinner."

Brittney sat up in confusion and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Erik was still asleep and she kissed his head gently. "Wake up love. We have company for dinner."

Erik opened his eyes slowly and looked around. He saw Meg and Nadir and feeling the urge to go back to sleep closed his eyes and sighed.

"You're not getting off that easy," Brittney said as she sat up causing Erik to fall upon the bed with a groan. "I'm sorry, but I'm hungry."

"Traitor," Erik muttered sarcastically.

"I could eat your dinner too while I'm at it."

Erik now sat up wide awake. "You will not."

The other three teens started laughing hysterically and rolling on the floor as Erik got a look of confusion on his face.

"What's so funny?"

"Your hair," Nadir manages to get out.

Erik looked in the mirror and saw his hair sticking out all over the place. As he muttered something to himself he went over to the sink and used the water to slick his hair back.

Trying to keep back a giggle Brittney handed him one of the white bags and sat down on the floor near Meg and Nadir. Erik soon joined them and took out the turkey sandwich after grabbing some mayo from the fridge. "Want some?" he offered to Brittney.

"Sure."

Together the four of them sat around talking about the good old days and all had a good laugh as they remembered the day when Erik dropped the bowling ball on Raoul's foot. No one brought up Christine and for the first time in weeks they felt safe.

TBC…

Don't think it's over yet. They still have to see the movie. And Christine is still plotting and let's not forget about Raoul, who wants his girlfriend back. What's in store for our characters? Stay tuned.