One heart's darkness

Disclaimer: I'm gonna go... cry now... because I can't have Erik... or Gerard Butler... LIFE IS CRUEL!

Erik: Oh really? Try having no nose!

Me: Try having no Erik!

Erik: ... good point...

THANKS to my reviewers! Also check out my other story, "Ayesha", if you haven't already. We're having some internet problems at the moment, so I don't know how frequently I will be able to update, but I'll do my best! Keep REVIEWing, that helps a lot!

Also, I have been asked about Erik's age, so here it is... (gulp) my confession: I have to screw with the timeline a little. Imagine Erik was 35 during the whole Christine-thing and is now 53. Otherwise he'd just be too old for the path this fic is taking. I don't like having to change things from the book (well, apart from, uh, the entire ending...) but please forgive me, I had to!

Chapter Five

Christine awoke the next morning with an agonizing headache and the distinct feeling that, although the day before had been hell already, this day would be just as bad… possibly worse!

She got dressed hurriedly without waiting for one of her maids to help her. Before she had finished braiding her hair, Raoul barged into the room. He wore a panicked expression.

"Julie is gone! And I think I know where. One of the stable boys saddled her horse for her and she rode off, about an hour ago."

Christine took a deep breath. "I know where she went. She's looking for her own answers."

"What do you mean?"

She looked up at him, cold anger in her eyes again.

"Well, obviously, she is looking for her sister. I'd do the same thing. I will go after her, and I want you to stay at home! If Erik sees you again, I don't know if I could stop him from hurting you. I don't know if I would try!"

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Julie's heart was pounding as she stepped into the deserted hallways of the opera house. It was still early in the morning and only a few musicians were already practising.

Her palms were sweaty and she was chewing her bottom lip, just like her father did when he was nervous.

Was she doing the right thing? Perhaps she should have trusted in her parents to make things right, but she just didn't want to be excluded from everything anymore. After all, she had just found out she had a sister! She had heard Erik's name before, several times, but only as in her mother's music teacher. Now it turned out she had a child with him!

The door to the abandoned dressing room stood ajar. Julie had no idea on how to find the two people she was looking for, she only knew that this was the room Madeleine had gone in and her mother had come out of.

She opened the door fully, and peered inside. Nothing. It was empty. She was just about to step inside, when a hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around a little roughly.

"What are looking for, mademoiselle?" a heavily accented voice asked her. Julie looked at the dark-skinned oriental for a moment before answering, "And who are you, monsieur, to ask me such a question without even introducing yourself first? But your rudeness aside, I'm looking for a certain girl, Madeleine, and her father…"

The man's eyes narrowed. "What do you want from Erik and Madeleine? And my name is Nadir Khan, I know the people you seek very well. I doubt that they would appreciate company."

The girl pushed back her frail shoulders.

"Well, monsieur, she is my sister, and she and her father are currently in the process of tearing apart my family! I have every right to go and talk to them!"

"She does!" Erik's voice replied from the doorway. He was dressed in an immaculate suit and opera cloak, as usual and his amber eyes were twinkling behind the white mask as he looked at the Persian. "Daroga, I'm glad to see you made it… on time, for a change. Why don't we take the petite demoiselle with us and she can 'talk' to my daughter all she wants. What do you say, mademoiselle?"

Julie was eying the mask apprehensively, but she was stubborn, and quickly interjected Nadir's "I don't think that would be a good idea," with a nod and took Erik's offered hand.

She stared with an open mouth as she followed the two men through the mirror, down several flights of steps, through maze-like hallways and finally to the shore of the underground lake, which they crossed in the gondola.

Before he opened the door to his house, Erik insisted that Julie covered her eyes and let Nadir lead her inside.

"I know that being meddlesome runs in your family," he explained dryly.

The girl blushed but obeyed him.

Once inside, she marvelled at the homeliness of the place. Erik led her to a door.

"Madeleine is in here," he said, "she probably in bed, so don't mind her appearance." His voice was dripping sarcasm and she shifted uncomfortably, as he knocked on the door and called, "My dear, Julie de Chagny is here to see you!"

Madeleine's voice sounded very surprised as she answered, "Send her in!"

Julie entered the room. It was comfortable, but kept in sombre colours.

Madeleine was sitting on the large bed, wearing a dressing gown of red velvet, so deep a red that it almost seemed black. Her dark curls poured down her back almost unto the mattress. The white mask stood in a stark contrast to her hair.

"Welcome," she said, her velvety voice polite and cautious.

"I'm…" suddenly Julie was at a loss for words. She struggled to remember why she had come, what she had wanted to ask of her sister.

"Please, sit," Madeleine offered and the younger girl took a seat on a plush armchair.

"Tell me about our mother?" Madeleine asked. "What is she like?"

Julie began to smile and launched into stories of her childhood. Her sister listened intently, trying to combine that description with the picture she had always had from her mother.

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Erik and Nadir were sitting in the study. They both had a cup of tea in front of them, but only Nadir was sipping on it occasionally. Erik had his head in his hands and kept massaging his temples.

"What is wrong, my friend?" Nadir asked with concern in his voice.

"I haven't seen you like that in almost two decades, ever since you gave up on morphine. You are not taking it again, are you?"

"Of course not," the masked man replied tiredly, "you know I wouldn't. I just didn't sleep last night. It had been an eventful evening… and Christine… she says she still loves me, daroga!"

The Persian groaned. "You are not going to fall for her again, are you, Erik? This is insane! You have your daughter, can't that be enough?"

Erik sat up again. "It was enough. It still is, but… oh, Nadir, you haven't seen her! She hasn't changed. And I want Madeleine to be able to spend some time with her mother."

"She did fine without her!"

"That's what you think! She would have done fine without her, had she never seen her in the first place. But now?"

Nadir sighed and decided to stop the matter. An uncomfortable silence settled over the two men, that was suddenly broken when a bell sounded in the foyer.

Erik frowned behind the mask. He had installed that bell long ago for Christine so she could alert him when she was on the other side of the lake and wanted to cross it. Could it be her…?

He got up and left the house. Although he wasn't sure who or what would be waiting for him, he crossed the lake after shouting back at Nadir that he would only take a short while.

Sure enough, it was Christine waiting on the other shore.

Her hands were nervously kneading her cape.

Without greeting him, she asked, "Where is my daughter, Erik?"

"Which one?" he asked rather tersely, but relented at the pitiful look in her eyes,

"Julie is at my house. She and Madeleine are talking."

"Just talking?"

"Yes, did you think Madeleine would kill? She's not a monster, you know? She's not me!"

Christine blushed.

"Come with me," Erik offered, "you can wait for her in the study, have some tea…"
"I'd like that," she agreed with a smile, "and I wanted to see Madeleine again. I take it that she is better?"

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Nadir greeted Christine rather coldly, but she couldn't blame him.

"Had it not been for Nadir," Erik said cheerfully, "I wouldn't be standing here today. How many times have you saved my life now, daroga? Four or five?"

The Persian made a dismissive gesture. "Enough times to make us even, I'd say," he said gruffly, but with the hint of a smile.

The three adults settled into a comfortable conversation. Two girls' voices could be heard laughing from the nearby room and Erik and Christine shared a smile.

The comfort was destroyed rather quickly, though, as another alarm sounded, which made Erik jump worse than the first one.

"Someone is inside the torture chamber!" Nadir said, shocked.

Erik leapt to his feet and opened the wall panel to be able to look through the two-way mirror into the chamber. Christine gasped at the familiar sight of the man standing in the room, panting in the heat and patting the walls for an opening.

"Raoul!"

A/N: TADAAAAAAAA! I updated! Yay! So... cliffie! I like writing cliffies... hehehe... Don't worry, I won't kill Raoul, Julie shouldn't lose her daddy. After all, he IS just concerned for his wife and daughter, he is not that mean... I know I said there would be some more stuff in this chapter, but I can't write that fast. So, there will be a lot of small chapters, instead of a few big ones, okeydokey? Now you all have to review, so I can go on. I'm like a car; it only drives when it has gas, I only write when I have reviews. :)

I remain your obedient servant

P.F.A.