A/N: Thank you for the reviews for the last two chapters. I'm sorry the updates have been few and far between, I am trying now to get them done much quicker.

Phantomandvampirelover: Thank you for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying this and thanks for the well wishes!

Ahomelesspirate: Yeah, I thought direct was the way to go. I wasn't sure it was one of those things she would sit down and say 'Now the thing is…' And thank you in particular for the comments about Antoinette, I'm doing my best to make her believable.

Amber: I try to lengthen my chapters but it never seems to work… I'm still working on it though, thank you for the review as always!

Angelofmusic: I think Erik is a very emotional character but is only just learning how to control those emotions. Mostly he has anger but everything is in their, particularly love.

Modesty: Have you updated? Only FF hates me and says you haven't, if not you better hurry up! Thank you for your review!

Cupid: Thank you for the review.

Please excuse SP's

'Could it be and harder,

To say goodbye,

Without you,

Could it be any harder,

To watch you go,

To face what's true,' – The Calling.

Chapter 23- Without You.

The room was suddenly icy silent as Raoul's eyes darkened into a deep brown. The beige walls seemed to grey and close in around them, suffocating the atmosphere like they had been wrapped in cloth. They were stifled by each others presence, the quiet deafening them both as rage crept up through Raoul's body into his mouth. Slowly, it began to crawl out.

'How dare you?' he said, almost calmly, his voice even and direct but quiet. Christine looked at him, unsure what to do, regretting what she had said.

'I…'

'How could you sink so low?' he asked, stepping forward so that he was over her, glaring down at her as she cowered into the window seat. Still, he seemed calm, his voice was steady but she knew he was angry. She saw it in his blackening eyes. 'Why?'

'It's true,' she croaked, staring at her hands. He shook his head.

'No,' he said quickly. 'It isn't. You're lying. How dare you.' He repeated and ran his hand through his thick hair.

'I couldn't lie about this,' she said softly, tears rolling down her cheeks. 'I wouldn't.'

He glanced at her and stepped away, began pacing from side to side, around the room, wall to wall. Shaking his head as he walked, watching his feet carry him around but his mind not telling them to. Christine watched him, wanting to stop him, to explain, to make him realise that she wasn't lying but the more he paced the more she saw it. He didn't believe her.

'He is my brother,' Raoul whispered, half to himself and half to his wife. 'How could you tarnish his name like this?'

'I'm telling you what happened!' she said, beginning to lose her calm with him.

'When?' he replied quickly, spinning around to face her. 'When did this happen then? Hm?'

'When I hurt my ankle,' she said quietly. 'He pushed me to the ground and I…'

'Enough!' he yelled, raising his hand in front of him. 'No more, no more lies and no more of this.' He stared at her. 'Even if he had done this, this… vile thing… then you STILL lied to me… about your ankle.' He shook his head, fighting away tears. 'Still lies, our whole relationship based on falseness… right from the start, the very beginning. It was… wasn't it?'

'No,' she said, looking up at him, her soft brown eyes pleading.

'Yes,' he said, rubbing his eyes with his fingertips.

'Raoul,' she begged. 'I didn't tell you because I didn't think you would believe me, please…'

'Well, I don't, you're right,' he said, sharply, his tone cutting her like a knife through bread. 'Philippe would never do that, I've know him all of my life and he loves me more than that.'

'But…' she said and stopped herself, she realised that it was no use. That she had been right all along, that the bond between brothers was stronger than any emotion between the two of them.

Her eyes stung as she stood from the seat and wandered, dizzy, over to her wardrobe. As she opened it she was greeted by all of the garments he had given her, the rich fabrics, the silk and the velvet. Lace and gold embroidery gazed back at her and she ran her hands along it all as Raoul watched her. Slowly she reached up and pulled out a bag from the top shelf, letting it drop to the floor, open. Then she pushed aside the silks, finding some of her old clothes. She looked at them, simple and cheap but they were nice and they were who she really was. One by one she placed them in the bag and then tied it closed before turning to face her husbands whose tear stained face, was still looking at her.

'Are you leaving?' he asked the obvious question which was greeted by a slow, silent nod. He said nothing but stepped towards her, his anger still clouded him but he managed to lift her bag to his shoulder. 'Okay.'

He walked with her down the servant's staircase with her, following her through the corridors and then out the back exit of the house. When she turned to face him he lowered her bag to the ground and reached over to touch her but she moved away. Raoul let his arm drop to his side.

'Where will you go?' he asked quietly and she looked at him.

'Megs,' she replied honestly. 'But from there I don't know.'

'Perhaps,' Raoul began. 'You will feel better soon.'

Christine looked in his eyes, their gentle hazel returning slowly. She glanced at his lips, so smooth and warm. She stepped forward and kissed them gently before stepping back. He watched as she walked down the steps and towards the carriage at the back of the yard.

'Monsieur?' the driver said as he ran from the servant quarters.

'Its okay, Henry,' Raoul said walking towards the house. 'Take my wife where she needs to go'

Henry nodded and pulled his jacket over his shoulders as he jogged towards Christine, who greeted him with a sorrowful smile. She wondered if Henry understood. She thought that he might. Despite his simple way he seemed to understand love, she had seen the way he was with his wife and somehow it comforted her that he was the driver to take her on her way.

As the hooves clicked along she finally mustered the energy to tell Henry where she was going, every once in a while he would glance back through the gap behind him to see if she was okay and it seemed to soothe her and her eyelids drooped into a sleepy lull. Her mind flicked dreams into her subconscious but it wasn't Raoul who haunted her thoughts as nightmares made her body jump.

No Raoul didn't haunt her.

Only Ghosts haunt people.