Sweet Intoxication

Chapter Eleven: Beauty Lies Within

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Once again, sorry for the slow updating. But, ya know, more reviews might motivate me to update faster(Hint, Hint :) Anyway, hope y'all like this chapter, because I included tons of E/C fluff. I loveE/C fluff! Go fluff!Also, I slipped in a quote from the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast (I love that movie :). See if you can find it! Hope you like and once again, more reviews equal more updates:)
Erik gently carried Christine through the tunnel behind the mirror. He was careful not to bump or jostle her because she had fallen back asleep. Every few minutes, he glanced back down at her beautiful face, her soft bouncing curls. The candlelight in the tunnel illuminated her beautiful, sweet face, casting a certain glow on it, making her appear as a godess. No, Erik corrected himself, she truly was a goddess, a goddess of song and light and sweet innocence.

Erik let her sleep for the most part of the journey, but it proved impossible to get her in the boat without her being awake. As much as he hated to wake her up when she looked so adorable sleeping, he knew he didn't have much time before that Vicomte and Madame Giry discovered she was gone and Erik had to get himself and Christine to his lair as soon as possible. He laid her gently on the ground and bent down beside her.

"Christine" he gently nudged her on the shoulder "Wake up" he said.

She sleepily swatted his hand off her shoulder "Christine! Come on, get up. We need to get in the boat!" Erik said, growing more urgent by the second. After a few seconds of him calling her name, Christine lazily opened her eyes.

"Erik?" she asked. She sat up and looked around

Erik gently pulled her up and lifted her into the boat. She stood up, looking confused for a moment until he explained "Christine, you know I love you, right? More than anything, I want to be with you. We're going back downstairs to spend some more time together. That is what you want, right?" he asked hesitantly

She looked at him gently " Of course it is, Erik. I love you and I want to be with you forever. Your voice sounds so sweet and intoxicating, I can't think or concentrate on anything or anyone else when I'm listening to it. It truly was meant for an angel, and that's just who it belongs to. My love, and my angel."

Erik gave her another rare smile and began to row the boat towards the lair. He felt so happy and delirious that Christine, his love, his angel, had just confessed that she loved him.He tried to hide the fact that he was crying from joy by saying "Sing for me, please angel." Christine smiled and obeyed him. She began to sing "Think of Me" again for him, and he concentrated on the glorious and heavenly sound of her voice.

When they finally got down to the lair, Erik got out of the boat and helped Christine out gently. He led Christine to the bedroom, and she changed out of her pink ballgown and into the same nightgown she knew Erik loved so much. When she finally emerged from the bedroom, Erik was sitting in an armchair, reading. When Christine cleard her throat, Erik looked up from the book he was reading and gazed upon her and was momintarily stunned. She looked so beautiful. Christine walked over to him, settling herself on the edge of the chair. She began to stroke her fingers through his thick black hair.

"Erik" she said.

"Yes?" he replied drowisly. He felt so tired and happy right now, he almost didn't hear Christine continue.

"If we're going to stay down here, I need to know a few basic things about the place. Like, where the food's kept, where the clothes are, and where am I going to sleep?"

Erik looked at her like she was crazy. "The bedroom. Where were you expecting?" he asked

"Isn't that where you sleep, Erik?"

"Yes, but I'll find somewhere else for tonight. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Oh no, Erik, I don't want to intrude. But you know," (Christine's face began reddening noticeably) "the bed is big enough, it could fit both of us."

"You mean sleep togther?" asked Erik. He knew it wasn't nice, but he wanted to see how much more he could make her cheecks redden. They did.

"I suppose so. But, just untill you find a more, uh, suitable arrangement" She said, the last part hurridly rushed out.

Erik leaned closer to her and gazed in her eyes. "Anything in the world would suit me, Christine, just as long as you're here with me." he said.

Christine leaned in closer, and boldly kissed him. She let her tongue explore every inch of his mouth. He returned the kiss and stroked her hair lightly.

Christine was kissing him passionatly. So passionatly, she didn't realize how hard she was pulling him towards her, untill she lost her balance and fell off the side of the armchair, falling backwards onto the hard floor with Erik landing squarely on top of her, which momintarily knocked the breath out of her. Erik instantlty broke his mouth away from hers and pushed himself off of her. "Christine, oh my god! Are you all right? Did I hurt you?"

Christine was unable to answer, because she was laughing so hard. She looked at Erik, acting like he had killed her, instead of knocked the breath out of her, and began to laugh harder, gasping for breath. Only when Erik realized she was unharmed, and thought about how comical the situation was did he begin to laugh too. They both laughed and laughed on the floor for a few minutes, untill finally they were both too out of breath to make a sound. Christine looked at Erik " I guess the Phantom of the Opera is a bit clumsier than I expected."

Erik looked at her playfully "Hey! You were the one that fell of the chair, and you dragged me down with you!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Christine looked at him. "Erik, please, let's not fight, even though we both know you're clumsieur than me"

Erik ignored the comment and rolled over, so that Christine was on top of him "You know the one thing I love about fighting?"

Christine looked at him curiously "What's that?"

"You get to make up" With that, he gently began to kiss Christine again, stroking every inch of her body he could reach with his hands.And everything would have been perfect in the two lovers' world, if Raoul de Changy hadn't appeared on the outside of the gate to the lake at that moment.

Christine saw Raoul out of the corner of her eye, and broke away from Erik. "Erik" she said angrily "We have company" she said, gesturing towards the gate. Erik got up and looked to see what she was talking about, and grunted angrily. "de Changy, what the hell are you doing here?" he asked

Raoul glanced at him furiously. "Let her go, you monster." he said

Christine gasped and adressed Raoul sharply " Don't you DARE speak to him like that! He's not the monster, Raoul, you are!"

Both men were momentarily stunned and sppechless at her sharp tone of voice.

Erik regained his composure first "Get out of my home Vicomte, and don't you dare burst in on us like this again!"

" I'm not leaving unless Christine comes with me. For the last time, let her go!"

Christine glared at Raoul sharply "Raoul I'm fine! Get out of here, and stop trying to rescue me! I've had it with you!"

"Christine, you don't know what you're saying.That fiend had to have done something to you!"

Raoul's comment was the last straw for Christine. "I am so sick of you, you idiot. I LOVE HIM and you dare to insult him? He's more a man than you'll ever be!"Christine said. She gathered up her skirts and was about to go in the lake and give Raoul the feeling of her fist in his stomach, when Erik held her arm back slightly. She pulled it out of his grasp and started again, when he grasped her more firmly this time. "Christine, leave it. Control yourself." he whispered sharply to her. She reluctantly obeyed him.

"What's the matter, Phantom? You have to have Christine fight your battles for you?" asked Raoul mockingly.

Erik had had enough of the Vicomte. He grabbed his lasso and stormed into the water. "That's it, you fop, get out of my home NOW!" he shouted, pulling back the lever to open the gate.

Raoul stared at him furiously "Make me." he said dangerously

Christine could sense a fight coming on. She ran in the water, getting slightly ahead of Erik. He was just about to punch the Vicomte when Christine wedged herself in between them. Unfortunatlty, Erik's punch intended for the Vicomte hit Christine in the stomach instead. She was gasping for breath and rubbing her stomach where Erik's punch had hit her."Christine! O God, Christine, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" he asked, trying to figure out how to get this stubborn woman out of the way so he could beat the tar out of the Vicomte.

"Raoul, Erik, stop it!" she said. " I'm sick of the fighting!"

She turned to Raoul " Raoul, I like you. I thought I loved you, but it was just a childhood fancy for you. Nothing more" she said.

He refused to give up. "Christine I want to marry you. Can't you undersrtand that? I 'd do anything for you! Anything!I could give you so much more than that hideous creature ever could!" he said

Christine looked at him regretfully " Except love" she said simply. She pushed Erik and Raoul away from her, and began to step out of the lake, calling over her shoulder "If you two gentlemen really want to beat the living daylights out of each other, I don't care. But I don't want any violence on my account."

As soon as Christine was out of their sight, Erik quickly had his lasso around the Vicomte's neck. "Listen you. If it weren't for Christine still being a bit fond of you as a friend, I would have killed you monthes ago. You had better be thankful she's still around to save you from me. If you don't leave me and Christine in peace, I swear to God, I will kill you. Understand?" he asked menacingly. The Vicomte nodded, and Erik (knowing he would probably regret this later) released him. The Vicomte left Erik's lair. As he walked through a tunnel leading back to the Opera House, he vowed "As God as my witness, I will not let that Phantom win Christine's heart."

Author's Note: Hello! Hope I didn't make it seem like Erik was trying to beat Christine up or something, because that totally wasn't what I was going for, but them falling off the chair seemed so funny when I thought it up, and I couldn't bear not to put it in. Let me know what you thought about this chapter by REVIEWING!