A/N: Not too much longer now, fellow E/C shippers. Thanks again to those who took the time to leave a review. I just love to know you are out there reading.

Chapter 6 – Return Of The Phantom

When Christine woke the next morning she found that her son's fever had broken and his breathing had returned to normal. She silently thanked God for whatever miracle had occurred during the night. Charles's illness had hit too close to home for her. She was pitched back three years to watching Raoul succumb to cholera. His symptoms had been the same; Chills, fever, nausea, spasms. The Physician had forced Christine and Charles to leave the de Chagny manor during his bout with the illness because of the highly contagious nature. Christine's compliance was more out of fear for her son's health than her own. But the Comtesse de Chagny, Raoul's mother, had been horrid to Christine during this time. She had accused Christine of not caring about Raoul and of not wanting him to recover. Christine had been made to feel as if she had abandoned her husband during his time of greatest need. The illness had not lasted long. Within days of the onset, he had died. She had felt a guilt that was so oppressive, she felt crushed under it constantly.

Due to her worry over Charles's condition, she couldn't believe that she had once again slept through the night. She found that she was experiencing a groggy sensation that was familiar to her as she had also felt this way the previous morning. She felt as if she had been drugged. Although she trusted Stone, she couldn't help but notice that the last thing she remembered from both nights was him handing her a cup of tea. She decided to confront the first mate with her suspicions once the man awoke.

Stone was sleeping in a chair next to Charles, so Christine prepared herself for the day behind the ornate screen in the corner. When she emerged he had just begun to come awake. Surprised to see her up and out of bed, he ran a hand through his hair and stood. Instinctively he reached a hand down to the boy feeling his brow. "Christine, he's better," he reported excitedly.

"Yes, I know. I had checked him already. Thank you Stone, for everything."

"Don't thank me ma'am, it was the Captain's doing. He found that Charles had food poisoning from the cheese that he had eaten."

"But I ate the cheese as well! I showed no symptoms, how could that be?"

"The Captain said it doesn't affect many people. Charles just happened to be one of those that it does."

"I will have to thank him Stone. He stood between my son and death and he granted us passage. I owe him my life. Surely he will allow me to express my gratitude?"

"Christine, the Captain is a complicated man. He is also very set in his ways, more so than any other man I have ever known." Seeing the disappointment on her face he quickly added, "I will ask him on your behalf, but I make no guarantees."

"Now let me go see to your breakfast." He started toward the door and she moved to intercept him before he left.

"Stone, would you please take your breakfast with me today? There is a matter I would like to discuss with you."

"Let no one say that Rupert Stone ever turned down an invitation to dine with a beautiful lady." Grinning he made his way to exit the room once again only to be taken aback by her next words.

"And if you wouldn't mind, I'll prepare my own tea this morning. I find your blend does not agree with me." She leveled him an accusing look which caused heat to rush to his cheeks. He decided it would be better to say nothing and left her.

Christine returned to her son's side, checking his condition once again. She couldn't believe the trauma that the last 36 hours had held was behind her. He was sleeping peacefully, his red-cheeked profile exposed to her view as his head lay on the opposite side. She remembered then the dream that she had the night before. It had been so surreal and yet so completely vivid, for a moment she dared believe it had actually happened.

Her Angel had been here in this room. She had felt his presence, heard his voice, and seen his face. She had called out for him and he had come to her, comforting her, promising that Charles would live. She knew that she must have been dreaming, even hallucinating. When she had been a child, it was he that had soothed her broken heart from losing her father. It was he that made her smile after the other ballerinas had called her clumsy. He had told her she was destined for greater things than prancing around a stage. His voice was her safe haven for so long, and then it was her torment. Why would she conjure him up now? It made no sense!

Stone returned with their breakfast. "No cheese", he announced, "and no tea either". He had decided not to deny his part in drugging her. Her son was well and the Captain had insisted. He had merely been obeying orders for the greater good.

Christine sniggered at his off-handed comments. "Under the circumstances, I suppose I should forgive you. I assume it was not your idea in the first place?" When he shook his head she continued, "I hope to God that this incident will not repeat itself. I prefer to be in control of my faculties and not at the whim of your Captain."

"Aye ma'am. I do beg your pardon Christine and hope you will forgive me." He regarded her humbly and she continued to give him her most matronly disapproving look for a few more seconds. Then she smiled and invited him to sit at the table. She laid out the prepared food and poured the tea that she had prepared herself. She set aside a third cup of tea to cool for Charles to sip once he was awake.

"So Mr. Stone, tell me about the events that I unwittingly missed."

"There's not much to tell. The Captain was able to identify the boy's malady and gave him the proper medicine to restore him."

"Captain Apollos seems to be a man of a great many skills. At one point last night I thought that I had been granted a look at the man, but it turned out that I was dreaming."

In between forkfuls, Stone commented, "You had a lot of nightmares, that's for sure."

"You could tell?" she asked.

"You talked in your sleep, called out for Charles and your husband. You were in some real distress." He shook his head and continued, "It's probably a good thing you were knocked out, you couldn't have slept otherwise with all of these visions haunting you. Last night you screamed 'Angel' and scared the wits out of the Captain and me."

"I did? Oh good Lord!" It must have been when I was having that strange dream, she thought.

"Is Angel a person or were you seeing an angel in your dream?" He had stopped eating and was giving her his full attention. He knew that in the next few moments, either all of his suspicions would be confirmed or denied.

Uncomfortably she explained, "Before I was married, I used to live in the Opera Populaire in Paris. There was a man there that I was very close to. I called him my Angel. My Angel of Music." She remembered when she had told her best friend Meg about her Angel for the first time. It had been after her debut in Hannibal. Then she had believed him to truly be an Angel, a spirit. Now she knew better.

Stone sat in silence waiting for her to continue. She was apparently lost in her memories of her Angel and he did not want to push her. "He trained my voice. He was my confidante and my protector. When my father died and I went to live in the opera house, I was so lost and so sad. Some nights, I would lie in bed crying and he would sing to me, soothe my aching heart." Her face was lovely as she recalled the innocent relationship that they had shared in their early days. But her serene countenance was replaced with pain and tears filled her eyes. Stone didn't make a sound. She was lost in the past now, obviously remembering whatever it was that had changed between herself and her Angel.

Finally she spoke again, her tone harsh. "He had lied to me. He was no angel. He was just a man, like any other except that his life had twisted his mind and darkened his soul. He called himself Phantom. He murdered two men simply because they were in his way. He would have killed Raoul, my husband if not for…" She was once again lost in her thoughts of a dark time in her life. Abruptly her eyes cleared of the fog that had been there and without emotion she said, "He's dead now."

"How do you know?" Stone dared to ask.

"If he wasn't he wouldn't have let me live in peace all these years. He was obsessed with me and hated Raoul. He would have come back for me if he had survived that night." She sounded as if this were something that she had convinced herself of many times over the years.

Stone saw all of the pieces coming together in his mind but he had to be sure. There was one more piece to be placed. "Did you ever know his real name?" he asked with anticipation.

"I didn't find out until after I was married. Raoul was always concerned that he would return for me and spent a great deal of money to find out everything that he could about the Phantom." She hesitated for just a bare second and quietly said, "His name was Erik. We never found his family name."

Stone leaned back and exhaled. He realized that he had not breathed since he had asked the question. The puzzle was complete, every piece was in place and Stone knew the truth. What he didn't know was what to do about it. A million things were running through his head at that moment and he didn't know which one to say to Christine. He was saved from having to make a decision when Charles's weakened voice alerted the pair to his presence.

"Mama, I'm thirsty. May I have a drink please?"

Christine rushed over to her son with the cooled cup of tea. "Here you are darling. You are much better now, do you feel better?" He nodded while he gulped the beverage, his eyes looking up at her over the rim of the cup. "Your good friend the Captain quite possibly saved your life. We shall have to thank him." Turning to Stone, she reminded him of his earlier promise. "You will convince him to see me?"

Even though Stone now knew why the Captain was keeping his distance from the woman, he hoped that he could convince him to see her. His friend had not been alive until she and her son had boarded this ship. She had been completely correct, her Angel had been dead. But no longer. He was reincarnated by her son's companionship and by her very presence. He responded, "I will do everything in my power to convince him Christine." And he meant it.

……………………………………………………………………………

"No."

Stone hadn't expected Erik to answer any differently. He was still trying to decide whether to put all of his cards on the table or not. Telling the captain that he knew who he was and who Christine was to him could be a big mistake. She had said that he was a murderer. In the years that he had known the man, he had never killed anyone even though there had been many men that had deserved to die serving aboard his ship. Men had stolen from him, mocked his appearance and one man had even killed another crew member in a drunken rage. Certainly the Captain had gotten angry, violently so, but he hadn't murdered these wrongdoers. He had obviously changed since last seeing Christine.

"Sir, she is most adamant. You saved her son and she feels compelled to show her gratitude. Surely you can't deny her that small gesture?"

"Yes I can." Erik's reserved and dignified appearance had returned since having rested after administering the healing liquid to the boy last night. He was catching up on the ship's log and hadn't bothered to even look up at Stone since he had entered.

"I don't think that she is going to like your refusal."

"Mr. Stone, why do you think that I am interested in what she likes?"

"Captain, I saw you with her last night." Erik looked up at the man sharply, daring him to continue. Stone was unsettled by the look and swallowed before continuing, "I'm just saying that I think…"

Erik cut him off with a slam of his open palm upon his desk. "Don't tell me what you think Stone. I don't care," he hissed.

Stone surprised him by straightening his back and boldly responding, "I think you do care. I know you care for that boy and I know you care for Christine."

"What are you going on about, man?" Erik demanded.

God help me, Stone pleaded silently "She told me about the Opera Populaire, about her Angel. About you."

Erik's exposed features registered shock which was then replaced by fury. Stone had found the man who was capable of murder, much to his dismay. "So you know," Erik stated with frightening calmness. "And what will you do with this information, I wonder?" He slowly rose from his chair. "You haven't told her, that much is certain." He rounded the desk approaching Stone. "If she knew, she'd be here instead of you." He stopped a few inches from the other man. Stone was a tall man, but he was dwarfed by Erik and, for the first time since knowing him, he was fully aware of the fact. "She is free of me. You need to leave it be. Do you understand?" As he spoke these last words he raised a hand and placed it at Stone's throat.

Stone wished that he weren't intimidated, but at that moment he didn't know who this man in front of him was. This was not the man who he had known for all these years. This was not the man who had lovingly cared for a little boy just hours ago. This man was a killer, cool-blooded and unpredictable. The only thing that he could do was agree. He nodded his assent and turned to leave, fearing that he would be stopped. He made it to the door unscathed and couldn't muster the courage to so much as look back at Erik. He stepped into the hall and drank in greedy gulps of air to calm his nerves.

As he walked back to his own cabin, Stone wondered what he had gotten himself into. Would the Captain have really done him harm? He didn't want to think so, but Apollos had been threatening. Perhaps Christine should be kept from finding out the truth about the Captain. He could be putting her in danger right now by revealing his knowledge to Erik. He realized that he should have given it more thought, should have approached it more cautiously. But he couldn't have been prepared for the other man's reaction.

Safely locked in his cabin he allowed himself to go over the meeting with the Captain once again. No, he couldn't have imagined that Erik would react that way. Christine had some power that brought out the best and the worst of him. Now Stone had to decide what to do. He had placed himself squarely between a rock and a hard place with no means of escape.