Title: Betrayal of Trust

Category: EC w/ Raoul bashing

Rating: M

Summary: Raoul's not the man Christine thought him to be. What happens when Erik finds out? Will he be able to help

Chapter Five

Christine struggled with all her might against the two men that dragged her through the alley. Lemur followed behind, smirking at the girls unless efforts. They reached the other end and stopped. "Lemur" said one of the men "It's to busy out there, she'll draw attention to us with all her struggling"

Lemur walked to the edge and frowned. The streets were filled with Parisians. The girl was beginning to get on his nerves, it shouldn't have been this difficult bring a woman back to her husband to be. "Very well then" he said, turning away "You and Thomas go fetch the carriage and bring it here, I'll stay with the girl. Be swift though, I don't need the police walking along and seeing the two of us in this alley" The men nodded and relinquished their hold on Christine to Lemur then disappeared into the crowd to fetch the carriage some blocks away. Lemur glanced into the busy streets then pulled Christine back further into the alley.

The buildings between them were tall, around 10 stories each. Lemur pushed Christine up against the wall, pressing roughly up against her again, holding her in place with his body. "We're alone at last my dear" he whispered stroking her hair. Christine flinched when his finger ran over the cut on her face.

"Tsk tsk, it's a shame I had to do that but that is what happens when you don't listen to me. Are you going to listen to me now, my dear?"

Christine stared at Lemur angrily, refusing to answer. Not at all pleased Lemur grabbed Christine be the chin and slammed her head against the stone wall. Christine's eyes rolled back in her head as she struggled to keep conscious. "I asked if you are going to listen to me now, my dear?" Lemur seethed in her face. Christine gave him a feeble nod and closed her eyes, her had clouded with dizziness.

"Very good. You and I are going to have a little fun before my men get back with the carriage"

Christine's eyes shot open when she felt Lemur hands squeeze her breast. Lemur smirked, pushing her cloak away and started to undo the front buttons of her dress. Christine started to struggle again but it was no use. Lemur's hold on her was to fierce, she was unable to stop him from unbuttoning her dress to her waist and slipping his hand inside. "You are a taste dish" Lemur mumbled as he began to nibble on her exposed neck "No wonder the Vicomte is eager to have you back in his bed" Christine squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away, repulsed. When she opened them again her eyes meet with a sight that filled her with hope. At the far end of the alley, where Lemur and his men first grabbed her stood Erik, her angel, holding her discarded basket.

With new found strength at the sight of Erik, Christine muster all the courage she had and kicked Lemur between the legs as hard as she could. At the angle she was though, she didn't quite hit the spot but it was enough for Lemur to let go of her and stumble back a few steps, holding himself. Christine lifted her bound hands and pulled the gag away from her mouth. "Erik" she screamed and started to run towards him.

Nadir pulled the carriage up to the edge of the market square. Erik secured his fedora in place, making sure it hid his mask, before jumping out of the carriage and began his search for any sign of Christine.

The market was crowded as the two men began to search. Nadir wasn't optimistic about finding Christine in such a crowd but Erik didn't care. He had keen senses when it came to Christine. If someone blindfolded him and put him in a room with Christine and nine other people and could walk right to her on the first try.

Erik study and area and the stands around him, picturing Christine walking through them. First she would visit the fruit stand, as it was closest to the entrance. He walked to the fruit stand and looked around. Not far away was the meat shop, she would surly stop there. With Nadir following him, Erik made his way from stand to shop, following Christine's steps in his mind. He could picture her clearly, a small smile on her face as she picked out the perfect apples and the perfect sized chicken. Christine was a perfectionist when it came to shopping for him. He would never forget the first time he asked her to shop for him.

It was a cool winters day. Christine put on the expensive cloak, scarf and mittens set Erik had bought for her. It was a beautiful shade of navy blue with silver trimmings. Erik couldn't keep his eyes off her as he rowed them across the lake. She looked like a princess. "Now my dear" he said, walking her to the gate entrance. "Don't take to long, its quite cold out, and I'd hate for you to catch something. Do you have the money satchel I gave you?" Christine smiled and patted her pocket. "Yes its right here, along with the list" she said.

"Very good my dear, now if you see anything you would like don't hesitate to buy it. Your doing me a great favor, going to the market, and for that I'll be ever grateful"

"What time would you like me to return for?"

Erik looked down at his watch. "Two hours time should be enough. I don't want a frozen angel coming back to me" he said smiling. Christine gave him one of the smiles that melted his heart. The smile that lite up her entire face. "Two hours time then" she confirmed and with the quickness of a mouse, Christine held her basket to the side, stood on her toes and gave a Erik a kiss on the cheek then hurried off down the narrow walk way to the main road where a carriage awaited her. Erik stared after her in shock, his hand resting lightly on his cheek where she kissed him. A grin slowly crept on his face.

Christine was a half hour late returning. Erik gave a sigh of relief when he saw her rushing up the walkway. "I'm sorry for being late Erik" she said breathlessly " But I wanted to make sure I got only the best for you". Erik smiled at her. Her cheeks were rosy and snow stuck to the hair that hung on both sides of her face. Stunning was the only word Erik could think off that described her. "Come my dear" he said taking the basket from her. "I have a tea ready and blankets ready on the sofa next to the fire. We must get you warmed up" Erik quickly rowed across the lake and got Christine settled in front of the fire with some tea before he brought the basket to the kitchen. When Christine said she only got the best for him, she wasn't lying. The fruits were at different stages of ripening, so as the days past each would be perfect. The chickens were the perfect size for the two of them to share. All the vegetables were crisp and fresh. He chuckled at the unusual amount of lemons. Russian tea, with lemon, she had not forgotten. Even the ink and parchments he asked her to pick up were of the best quality. Christine surly put a lot of effort into shopping. At the bottom of the basket he found a book. It was one of the fairytales she treasured. The Nights of Straprola. A story of a princess falling in love with a beast. Smiling he walked to the sitting room to give her the book. Christine's face lite up when he entered. "I have you book my dear" he said handing it to her.

"Oh thank-you. I'm sorry for purchasing such afairytale book Erik, but when I saw the bookstore I couldn't help but go in. I'm like a moth to flame when it comes to bookstores"

"It is not a problem, mon ange. Didn't I tell you if you saw something you liked to buy it"

Christine looked down and nodded her head. "Would you like me to read some of it to you?" he asked. Christine's head shot up with and nodded happily a smile on her face.

"Very well"

Erik sat on the sofa and froze as Christine curled up next to him, covering them both the blanket. Erik quickly regained himself and started the story, savoring the feeling of his angel pressed up against him.

Erik closed his eyes at memory. A tear escape from his eye and he quickly wiped it away. He stopped at the bakery looking around. Off to the side he saw the bookshop. Christine could never pass a bookshop without looking inside. It was one of the things he loved about her, her thirst for knowledge. Slowly he walked to the bookshop, looking around the market for any sign of his beloved. Nadir took a quick glance inside "She's not there Erik" he said sadly. "She has to be somewhere around, we would have saw her leave" Erik said, frustrated. They were about to leave when something caught Erik's eye. A basket filled with food sat on the ground at the edge to the alley. Erik bent down and examined it. It was filled with fruits and vegetables, meat and bread. Tears came to his eyes as she saw the large amount of lemons. "She was here Nadir" Erik said rising with the basket. "This was her's. Look at the lemons. She always buys a lot of lemons for my tea"

That was when he hurried his name screamed. Erik dropped the basket and looked down the alley. There was his beloved, running towards him, her cloak falling from her shoulders. "Christine" he yelled and broke in a run towards her. Erik didn't see the dirty looking man until it was to late. The man grabbed Christine around the neck from behind, and held her against his chest with a pistol to her head. "Stay where you are" the man screamed. Erik stopped in his tracks, Nadir a few feet behind him. Erik's breathing became labored, his gloved hands clench in anger. "You will let her go monsieur if you value your life" Erik said darkly. "I do not think so you masked freak" the man replied "The young lady has a pretty price tag on her head that I am eager to cash in. If you do not want any accidents happening, then I suggest you back away" "Erik please" Christine whimpered and struggled against the man's hold. "Be still you little vixen" the man yelled and brought the butt of the pistol down hard on Christine head. Christine gave a small yelp before she sagged in the man's arms unconscious. "CHRISTINE" Erik yelled his eyes wide with fury and lunge at her and the man. Erik heard the shot then he felt the pain. Inches away from Christine he fell to the ground, a hand clenched near his heart. "Lemur lets go" a voiced yelled. The man threw Christine over his shoulder and ran jumping into a carriage at the other end of the alley. "Christine" Erik whispered reaching out towards the fleeing man, struggling to get up. His vision blurred and the last thing he saw was Nadir running down the alley after the carriage.

When Erik awoke, he was still lying on the ground in the alley. A felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder. Erik closed his eyes, trying to remember what happen. The vision of Christine, slumped unconscious popped into his head. "Christine" Erik yelled and sat up quickly and closing his eyes and wincing as the pain in his shoulder intensived. "Easy Erik" he heard Nadir say. He felt his friend placed a supporting hand on his back and helped him sit up. "Where's Christine" Erik asked again, looking up at this friend. Nadir looked away. "I am sorry but I could not catch the carriage" Nadir whispered, ashamed. Erik closed his eyes, shaking his head. "No" he whispered "She was right there, not three feet from me".

"Yes I know, but then her captor shot you Erik. You are very lucky it was in the shoulder. Still I could only bandage it, we have to get you back home so I can properly clean it"

"No" Erik said struggling to stand up "The Guard has Christine, she needs me. There's no time to waste"

"Erik, what good are you going to be to her when you pass out due to infection. We need to go back home and bandage you up"

Erik shook his head, not listening. He staggered over to where he last saw Christine. He fell to his knees in front of her cloak and carefully picked it up as if it where made of glass. Bringing it to his face Erik began to weep, muttering Christine's name over and over. Nadir walked over to his friend and placed a comforting hand on Erik's uninjured shoulder. "Come Erik" he whispered "Let us go home and get you patched up. We know that they are bringing her back to the Vicomte. Tonight we shall go the Chagny mansion and rescue her" Erik stayed on his knees, his face buried in Christine cloak for a few moments longer before rising next to Nadir. His eyes bloodshot and looked at Nadir.

"You are right. Tonight we shall go and get Christine and the Vicomte should well enjoy the rest of the day for it shall be his last"

With that, Erik retrieved Christine dropped basket and made his way back to the carriage.

Christine was so cold. She sat huddled in a corner in the Chagny basement where Raoul locked her up. Never in her life had she felt so much pain. Every inch of her body hurt. From the ache in her head to the bruises that covered her body. Raoul showed her no mercy in his punishment. Death was looming around her. Not that she cared. When in the carriage, Lemur had told her about Erik's death. How he, Lemur, shot him through the heart. Christine now welcomed death, for with it she would be reunited with her Erik.

She had regained consciousness in the carriage on the way to the Chagny mansion. Lemur whispered vulgar threats in her ear the enter trip and told of Erik's death, and in the fragile state that she was, by the time they arrived at the mansion, Christine were near hysterics. Lemur pounded on the door. A foul looking Raoul answered. When he saw Christine his look darkened. "It's about damn time" Raoul said, he's words laced with anger. "Your precious fiancee, proved harder to find then I originally thought. Not to worry though, she's paid for her difficulties" Raoul grabbed Christine's arm and pulled her inside. "Come in" he said to Lemur "I'll pay you then you can be on your way, Christine and I have much to discuss" "I'm sure you do" Lemur said smirking "Where the hell are your servants boy, usually I have a butler taking my coat when I make calls to your sort" Raoul scowled.

"I sent them away until Christine was returned. I didn't want anyone here when we discussed the consequences of her hasty departure"

Paid in full, Lemur smiled at Christine, who stood shaking with fright in the corner. "Good-bye my dear. Should we meet again, I promise that I will finish what we started in the alley" He nodded to Raoul and left the house. Raoul waited until he heard the click of the front door closing before he turned towards Christine. "So my love, welcome home" Raoul said calmly. "I was concerned that they would not be able to find you. Do you have anything to say for yourself about her devious actions?" Christine bit her lip, shaking her head. Tears coursed down her cheeks.

"No nothing to say. Not 'I'm sorry Raoul for running away' no 'please forgive me Raoul, I never meant to push you down and knock you unconscious '. I'm deeply upset about that Christine, deeply"

Raoul started to walk towards her. Pure hatred in his eyes. "Well my dear" he spat "You will be sorry soon. Sorry that you ever thought of leaving me" Before she could react Raoul was on top of her, pound his fists everywhere on her body. Christine cried out and struggled but it was no use, Raoul was like a lion attacking its prey, nothing was stopping him. He ripped at her dress and corset until she was left in her chemise only. "I have been without you for almost a month Christine" he muttered, unbuckling his trousers "That is to long for a man to be without his fiancee" "Please Raoul" Christine begged, her face soaked in tears. Raoul rained more blows on her before he took her without mercy. When finished Raoul dressed himself then grabbed Christine by the hair and dragged her across the room, making her body hit as much furniture as possible. He dragged her to the basement stairs and dropped her at the foot of them. "You can stay down there, like the gutter rat you are" he said, and with a sift kick to the stomach, Christine tumbled down the stairs, her only light disappearing as Raoul slammed the door and locking her in.

At midnight Erik and Nadir ready there horses and started their way towards the Chagny mansion. Nadir cleaned and bandaged Erik's wound, which was thankfully not as serious as he first thought. After a drug induced sleep, Erik rose feeling rejuvenate and ready to go and retrieve Christine. It only took a fifteen minutes until they stopped in front of the mansion. Erik dismounted his horse and took his Punjab off his belt. He turned to Nadir. "You don't have to come, I can handle the boy on my own"

"Yes, I know you can Erik but a second pair of hands often come in useful"

With a nodded from Erik, both man walked through the gates of the Chagny mansion.