A/N: Thanks for all the feedback everyone, and I hope you like this chapter. Please review if you have any comments or criticism. I'm still very new at this.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera. Ownership has not changed since I had last mentioned those masters in the prologue. (weep and throw tantrum... calms down)

The Way Things Might Have Been

Chapter 2: Time and Change

Since that fateful day of their first meeting, a strong relationship was forged between Erik and Christine. He became her protective older brother, best friend, and confidant, roles he took very seriously. Christine also found another foster sibling, this time a sister, in Meg Giry who fulfilled the same roles. Although the three became an inseparable trio inside the opera house, there was a definite permanent link between Erik and Christine that no one ever questioned. Madame Giry also found her hands full with three children instead of one. Especially since they usually found an enjoyment in the occasional troublemaking, usually with Meg leading the gang, Christine joining in (and in doing so dragging Erik in as well), and ending with Erik bailing them out of trouble, contriving new excuses and alibis. In those youthful years, they drove the management to the edge of insanity and back, while the rest of the opera house staff, as long as they weren't the object of entertainment, found it thoroughly hilarious.

A year following Erik's arrival to the Opera Populaire, Erik was promoted to the position of "co-director of music." M. Reyer had found himself enjoying Erik's company, and he thoroughly appreciated his skills and talents. Erik became like a son to him, while Reyer became the father he never had. Reyer had once told Erik, "You are a genius, my boy, and there will be no denying it. You are destined to do great things, among which, I hope, includes writing music that will sweep the people of our city off their feet." Erik did find himself composing privately in the underground haven he had built alongside the subterranean lake beneath the opera house. Sometimes, he would present a finished masterpiece to his surrogate family while other times, he kept it a secret, the jealous guardian of a marvelous treasure. In the course of that year, he had also promised Christine future voice lessons, when she had matured further and they were both less preoccupied: Christine with her ballet training and Erik with his music. In both disciplines, the first years were critical, developing the rhythm for future study. Erik also grew into the stereotypical artistic temperament: temperamental, a "slightly" bad temper, and prone to mood swings.

It was in that manner, a steady-pace of life with the occasional outburst of excitement that was common in theatre that two years of existence passed within the opera house. Finally, as his gift on Christine's tenth birthday, they began voice lessons. At first, he worked on technique, training and pushing his pupil to hone her instrument to crystal clarity where perfection was born. He also became aware of the unique beauty of her voice, its potential to one day match and blend with his own. He had in his hands the fledging of a gifted songbird that he must coax to fly. It was only after finishing with technique that he allowed himself to teach her how to make the music created with her voice to live… to truly live. "Christine, you need to encompass all that I have taught you before this point with a new sense of passion. Put feeling, whether of grief or joy, into every single tone you make."

Her lessons progressed for the next five years although Christine had gained her ultimate success in the first. That one night changed everything. It had been a week since their last lesson, the one that Erik had told her she must learn to put feeling into her song. As she sung for him that night, she fed… gorged the music with her emotions, using her fondest memories. She released her soul for him that night, and in return, she received his thanks when she saw the tears glisten in his eyes at the conclusion of her private performance. "My Christine… that was true beauty." Christine immediately blushed at his praise.

"Erik…"

"No, I wouldn't say it unless I meant it. If I do say so myself, you've had a wonderful teacher."

"How modest of you kind sir!"

They both broke out laughing at that.

"Erik…" Christine was now entirely serious.

"Yes, my dear?"

Christine took a deep breath, which put Erik on his guard. "Erik, will you let me see you without the mask?"

He groaned, "Christine…"

"Please, Erik, I don't care what's underneath it… I just want to prove to you that I really don't care." She was practically begging now.

Erik prepared himself for one of the largest heartaches of his life as he tentatively removed the shield he had had on for so long. He had expected a large scene where there was a scream and crying, but there was only silence and then…

"Oh, Erik… Were you so silly to think that I would care?" He felt a soft hand on his disfigured right cheek. He had been wholly unprepared for this. That side of his face had remained untouched since the day of his mother's death. Even now, Christine acted beyond her years. "You've given me so much that I have yet to return." With that, she gave him a quick kiss on the right side of his face, a purely platonic kiss from a sister to a brother that was still filled with a lovable affection, and wiped away the few tears that had leaked down. "I don't care and neither would Meg or Madame or… M. Reyer since he's always talking about how you did this and fixed that and this and that…"

Erik had to smile as she rolled her eyes. He silently thought, "I have found my sweet muse…

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For lessons after that night, they worked mainly on increasing her repertoire and correcting the occasional mistakes she made. He also told her stories of his past and some of the "adventures" he's had on his travels. He told her about his mother and about Nadir, a Persian he had met in Italy and one of his few friends. He still maintained an occasional contact with him.

By that time, Christine had also gained several minor roles in performances either as a dancer with Meg or a small singing part, despite his arguments with the management to give her some larger roles. Another sore point he had had with the new management, for messieurs Debienne and Poligny had left leaving a M. Lefevre, was when he had argued against hiring 'La Carlotta' as the new lead soprano, the new prima donna. "She may be a big name star, but she was a horrible singer and terrible to work with." However, all his arguments were ignored, and she came to the opera house with her condescending air, shrill voice, yapping poodle, and the faithful, lumbering, obese admirer Piangi (in Erik's view.)

It was also during this time that Erik fell in love with Christine. He remained quite unaware of this (and of the fact that Christine also returned his feelings) although it became quite obvious to everyone else. (They gave Madame Giry and Meg the largest headaches.) There were two separate instances that proved this.

The first occurred when Christine was thirteen and Erik was twenty-one. It was to be the first time Christine and Meg would attend the annual Masquerade Ball. Christine had matured into quite the beautiful young woman as well as Meg, and they both caught a lot of unwanted attention. Usually, their admirers were held at bay by the ever-watching eyes of Mme. Giry. However, that night was one of revelry and gaiety as well as alcohol. One stagehand… one properly drunk stagehand saw Christine as she was returning to her room from the dance, given in to temptation, and promptly dragged her to a corner of the hallway and attempted to kiss and take advantage of her. She managed to cry out once before he smothered her with his mouth. She had begun crying when they heard an angry snarl, and the stagehand was bodily thrown from her into the opposite wall, knocking him out. She had almost passed out from fear, but when she saw Erik, she immediately ran into his waiting arms, whimpering.

Erik cast a disgusted glance at the crumpled figure on the ground, before he turned back to the weeping girl in his arms. He whispered some small words of comfort in her year before lifting and carrying her back to the room that she shared with Meg. Inside, he met the questioning glances of the two Girys before setting her on her bed. When her crying had abided, he asked, "Did he hurt you?" She shook her head. "Thank God! I'm going to have to talk to M. Lefevre about him."

"What happened?" demanded a worried Mme. Giry as Meg moved next to Christine to give her a reassuring hug.

"It was Gaston, the stagehand, but I stopped him before anything really happened. He's unconscious now in the hallway."

Erik shrugged in response to Mme. Giry's raised eyebrow.

A still trembling Christine then spoke, "Thanks Erik, I'm okay now. I… I guess I should go to sleep now. We have rehearsals tomorrow."

A worried Meg asked, "Are you sure you're okay, Christine? I'm sure mama could talk to the managers for you to let you rest tomorrow." Christine's voice had been a bit higher than usual.

"N-no… no I'm fine. I just need a good night's sleep."

"Okay, then we'll let you rest then."

Erik and Mme. Giry left with a concerned backwards glance while Meg returned back to her own bed while still constantly glancing at Christine's, even after she had pulled the curtains so that Meg couldn't actually see. Meg sighed. "Good night."

"Good night."

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The second instance occurred during a particularly harsh January when Christine was fourteen. Meg had been watching Christine carefully during morning rehearsals since Christine had seemed even paler than usual and was making more missteps than normal. However, she had no chance to ask Erik for a second opinion since he had to go to fix a problem in the orchestra early that morning. Meg's premonitions proved true when she heard a scream… Christine had fainted at the side of thestage scaring several of the younger ballet rats. Meg rushed to Christine along with her mother.

One little girl, Cecil, asked, "I-is she d-dead?"

Meg shook her head. She felt Christine's forehead and gave a shout. "Mama," she exclaimed, "Christine is burning up!"

"We should get her to her room. Cecil, fetch the opera house physician please."

Meanwhile, Erik had heard the entire hubbub and had immediately rushed onto the stage. Worry lines littered his face, and his mouth was pulled into tight line. Hearing Mme. Giry, he immediately picked up Christine and carried her to her room. When the physician came in to examine her, his pronouncement was pneumonia. It was a bad case, but most likely, not fatal. For the next two days and nights, Erik never left her side, not even for work, Meg left only for practice at her mother's insistence and to bring nourishment for Erik, and Madame Giry, who although worried kept her head about her, came in whenever she could to check on Christine as well as to make sure that both Erik and Meg were still alive. When Christine had finally woken up for the delirious sleep that the laudanum had placed her under, Erik catered to her every need (to everyone's amusement) until she fully recovered. It was at this time that Erik realized just how much Christine meant to him. He was stunned to find himself neck-deep in love with her. Now, his only fear was how to hide what he felt sure to be unrequited love.

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Now you may ask, "What shall we do with two stubborn people who are deeply in love with each other, but too thick-headed to realize that at this point it is a two-way deal?" That is why we have dear Meg Giry…

She was soon tired of the two lovebirds dancing around each other as if the other might squawk if cuddled too hard, even if one was like a brother to her and the other a sister, so after rehearsals one day, she cornered each of them individually and forced Erik and Christine to confess their feelings about the other. Then she "forcefully" convinced them to tell the other that night during their lessons.

So that night, neither Christine nor Erik bothered with singing since both were too nervous and distanced to pay attention for long until finally, they both blurted out "I have something to tell you…" (The classic romance scene…) Once again at the same time, they both blurted out an "I love you…" after an awkward pause. Erik's eyes immediately widened as he let out a shaky breath. "You do?"

Christine immediately blushed and shyly nodded her head. He slowly approached her, as if she was a dream, a vision that would suddenly disappear. (Of this, he still wasn't sure if he was asleep or not.) He enveloped her gently in his arms and pushed his face into her curls to breath in her scent. "You're real," he said as if surprised. When Christine gave him a questioning glance, he only smiled and brushed back a stray curl. Without warning, his lips closed on hers, filled with an unbridled joy and passion that she reciprocated fully. When they finally pulled apart, their eyes remained locked on each other.

Erik finally cut in wryly, "The timing seems a little too perfect, so let me guess…"

"Meg," they both answered in unison.

"See, this is the reason why I refuse to let you choke her to death, even when she's being a pain. I think that…"

Erik cut her off quite effectively with a second kiss, this one just filled with a simple tender love that promised to bloom and mature with time… And in Christine's eyes, he saw the intensity of the love that teemed in her young heart, a look reflected in his own eyes.

A/N: I also apologize if you dislike the pacing of the chapter, but the next begins pacing it against the order of events in the movie, so this is more like a bridge between chapters even though it is a very, very important bridge. (finally, got them together)