A.N.: ah, a long awaited update. Sorry it's been so long, but settling back into college and such has left me little time to write. I believe the next few chapters to be up in fairly rapid sucession so hopefully they'll be worth the wait.

Linda F.- Thank you so much for bearing with me.I hope I didn't disappoint. ;-)

Chapter 12 Everything I do...

Christine once again woke to the sounds of Erik at the piano, but unlike the previous day, the music was far from peaceful and comforting. It was full of passion, loud, and startling. She had never heard such music coming from a piano before and she sat up so quickly she felt lightheaded. She closed her eyes and waited for the room to stop spinning before opening them once again to find Erik staring at her from his piano bench.

"Good morning. Time for the fun to begin," he said with a smirk. Christine groaned and fell back down, covering her face with a pillow. Erik swiped the pillow from her grasp.

"None of that now. Get dressed and I will bring you breakfast," he said, suddenly serious. The time for joking was over and it was time to get to work. They had already lost two days and Erik was determined to make the remaining five count.

Christine watched him leave the room and knew better than to argue. Sighing, she stood up and stretched. After donning her usual style of dress pants, blouse, and comfortable flats, she folded the blankets on the couch and awaited her mentor's return. A few minutes later, she was eating a breakfast of fruit and juice, and scanning the sheet music Erik had given her to peruse. He said the piece was a good exercise to extend her range and accuracy of pitch. She stood over by the piano and Erik directed her through a grueling set of warm-up scales. She had never worked up a sweat singing before, but she found herself growing warm from the training. They took a short respite after the scales for Erik to bring tea to help sooth Christine's throat. If she thought Erik was tough with scales, she was sadly surprised by his perfectionism when she sang the piece.

"Ready?" he asked impatiently, running his hands over the keys. She nodded and he played the opening chords. They did a quick run-through for Christine to figure out the melody and then things took a turn for the worse.

"Think of me. Think of me fondly, when..."

"Lift your chin, Christine"

"...we've said good-bye. Remember me once in a while, please promise me you'll try."

"Straighten up, Christine. Shoulders back, chin up, support," he barked.

"When you find that, once again, you long to take your heart back and be free"

"Sing out! You are holding back too much."

"If you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me..."

"POSTURE, CHRISTINE!" he slammed his hands down on the keys and stood up. Glaring, he walked over to the startled singer. "When I give you an instruction, I expect you to follow it!"

Christine nodded and stared at the floor wide-eyed, not daring to look into his face. She felt heat rising to her cheeks and her vision was starting to become blurry due to tears.

"Good. Now, roll your shoulders back and open your chest area. This helps you breathe and support your voice," he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently rolled them into proper position.

"Straighten your back, don't arch," he walked behind her and moved her hips into proper alignment with his left hand while keeping her shoulders in position with his right. Christine felt like a mannequin being formed to his whim; however, she found that it was not an unpleasant feeling. He walked back around to her front and lifted her chin much higher than she ever carried it.

"Keep your chin up and be proud of yourself and your ability as a singer," he said, giving a hint of a smile. "This isn't just for singing, Christine. You have confidence and you need to show it."

Christine felt herself relax under his praise yet stayed in position. He was only trying to help her even if his method wasn't the most pleasant.

"Let's start again," he sat back down at the piano bench and began to play.

"She hasn't answered her cell phone in days," Raoul paced in Meg's room. "I've left her over a dozen voicemails. Why hasn't she called back? Something doesn't feel right, Meg."

"Has it occurred to you that she hasn't called back because you've left over a dozen voicemails?" Meg inquired from where she sat cross-legged on her bed. Raoul had been growing more and more anxious over Christine's sudden disappearance three days ago.

"I've said it before, Meg, and I'll say it again. It just isn't like her to take off without letting at least one of us know! She didn't call, email, IM, leave a note, nothing!" He ran his hands through his sandy hair and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Raoul, listen to me," Meg crossed the room and took hold of her friend's shoulders to stop his pacing. "I'm sure her sick grandmother is her first priority right now. She will call us when she gets a chance."

"But..."

"No buts, Raoul. Just let it drop. Mom said she will be back in a week, and then you can ask her about it. I'm warning you, though, don't start grilling her. That will just push her away."

The guy nodded and embraced Meg. He was thankful to have her as a friend and could always count on her to help him sort out his troubles. His mind reflected on one such horrible incident back in high school that nearly destroyed him and his family. Meg was the only person outside of his household and girl involved that knew about his dark secret. I wonder whatever happened to Jeanette...NO! You have to forget the past. What's past is past and you need to focus on your future, Raoul. You need to focus on your future with Christine...

"...and then I slowly unzipped the President's pants with my teeth..."

"Huh!" Raoul snapped out of his trance to find Meg laughing at him. "Did I miss something?"

"I was kidding. You haven't heard a word I said before, did you?" She gave a mock accusatory glare and then shrugged her shoulders.

"Come, I need lunch."

Over the next few days, Christine could feel herself improving. Her voice was stronger due to her exercises and corrected position, and she was overall more confident.

"...think...ahahahahahah-ahhhh ahahahahahah-ahhhh ahahahahah-ahhh-AHHHHHof meeeeeee" Christine's mouth was open in a wide smile and her expression was bright as she finished the piece with brilliant resonance.

"Bravo, my dear, bravo!" Erik stood from the bench with a wide grin. "That was perfect."

Christine let out a little childish squeal of excitement over her achievement and rushed over to give a very surprised phantom perfectionist a hug.

"Thank you SO much!" Erik felt his heart flutter again and looked down at his beautiful angel.

"No need to thank me, angel. Your happiness is gratitude enough."

Several hours later, Erik and Christine made a delicious meal of steak, baked potatoes, salad, and of course, red wine. Christine looked around the kitchenette. It was small yet efficient with numerous cupboards and shelves. There was an electric range and oven, a small sink, microwave in the corner, and a refrigerator. The stone gray tile floor was clean and coordinated with the grey and forest green of the wall paper. The counters were dark green marble print also matching the wallpaper. She noticed that Erik was setting their plates upon a tray.

"Aren't we going to eat in here?" She indicated the small white table and chairs placed in an empty corner of the kitchen where they had shared several meals during the previous days.

"No, we are dining in a new location tonight. Would you please grab the ice bucket and wine and follow me?" Christine did as she was told and followed him up the stairwell to a place that was foreign to her, Erik's bedroom.

He opened the door and held it, ever the gentleman, for Christine. When she entered, she realized that this was much more than a simple bedroom. This was the very image of Erik. Like every other room in his domain, the bedroom was comfortably furnished with classic dark-stained pieces and luxurious throw blankets and pillows. Erik's dark mahogany desk and chair were ornately carved and polished. A laptop computer sat on top of the desk along with extra speakers, a printer, a small vase full of writing instruments, and a stack of notebooks piled neatly on the side. The bed was rather large, probably Queen-sized with a black satin comforter and pile high with black and maroon satin-covered pillows. A small upright piano stood in the corner, and while not as impressive as the instrument in the music room, just seeing it there reminded her of how much music meant to this man. There were paintings and sketches plastered over the walls, as well as antique-looking sheet music and architectural drawings. Upon closer inspection, Christine noticed several of the sketches were of her: there was one of her standing next to the piano singing, another of her sitting peacefully by the lake in the Victorian gown she had worn that day she toured Erik's lair, even one of her standing on the curb looking somewhat lonely in an outfit Christine recognized as being the one she wore upon her arrival to Crawford College. What really caught her attention was a portrait of her hair swept up with fake flowers just like the night of her first college party- the night Erik rescued her.

Noticing her stare, Erik placed the tray on his desk and relieved Christine of the ice bucket and wine bottle. She carefully lifted the portrait off of the end-table for closer inspection.

"You really drew this? These?" she finally asked, breathless.

"I did," Erik replied softly, moving to stand behind her.

"They're amazing! You are really talented, except..." her voice trailed off for a second.

"Thank you, but except what?" Erik inquired, concerned.

"They're too wonderful to be me. These are so elegant and I'm so..." Erik spun Christine suddenly to face him.

"I have imagination and take artistic license in my work, but I drew these as I saw them. You don't believe me? Here," he moved Christine over to what looked like a narrow wardrobe and opened it up. It was a 3-piece mirror with an extra piece of glass sticking out of the center at an odd angle.

"This, this is what I see," he pointed toward the mirror and held up the sketch next to Christine.

Sure enough, she saw that there really was not much of a difference between the girl in the picture and the girl staring back at her from the mirror. She could feel happiness and joy beginning to well up inside her. Erik had uncovered an inner beauty she had never seen in herself before. Glancing at their reflection in the center mirror, she noticed that the extra piece reflected an image in such a way that only her left side showed along with a mirror image of herself. She lifted her left hand in the air and her reflection lifted what appeared to be both hands. This is fun, like a carnival funhouse! She thought.

"This is a neat trick, Erik, why did you do it?" He turned away from her without saying a word. She looked at him through the reflection in the mirror.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"I did it for me," he finally replied so softly Christine was unsure if she really had heard him utter the words.

"I did it so I could see what I thought would be the real me." She waited a moment for further explanation, but received none.

"We should eat," he said finally turning back to face Christine. "Our meal will be getting cold."

They ate in silence, both lost deep in thought. Christine was pondering what Erik meant by "I did it so I could see what I thought would be the real me." It suddenly occurred to her that since it only showed half of her face, he must have made it so he could see what his face might look like without the mask. But what is so horrible that he feels he needs to wear that mask? The mystery behind the unknown had intrigued her from the moment she first saw him. Remembering back to that day she bumped into him going into the music build, it was his shroud of mystery that had drawn her to him. She had been curious about it ever since, but her polite manners told her it would be rude of her to pry and that Erik would share his secret with her when he was ready. Now, it was the charming and quite handsome genius who sat across from her savoring his food that she...loved? Liked? Her mind was a cloudy mess of confusion over the startling realization that Meg had been right all along. She was falling for Erik, a man she hardly knew, but one who possessed a passion and stillness that is rarely found in the world today.

Her mind unwillingly drifted toward the other man in her life, Raoul. He was always her "Prince Charming". She remembered him as a boy and throughout their time apart, she dreamed that they would be reunited someday and together live happily ever after. She never thought it would actually happen, but here they both were attending the same college and even living near each other in the dorm, and to top it all off, he still had feelings for her. It really was like a dream come true, but now her growing affections for Erik were becoming a factor. Something about the way he looked at her made her feel as if she was the only woman in his life, ever. He had a dark tortured soul that, while she did not know what had happened to him in his past, she wanted to make sure his future was a million times better. It was as if she wished to take him under her wing and care for him as he had been doing for her.

Erik, too, was lost in thought and completely entranced by his beautiful guest. Over the past week, he felt himself grow more and more comfortable around her. While it was pleasant not to be on-edge all of the time, he was worried that the subject of his past and mask was bound to come up soon. Christine was a curious girl and he knew it was only a matter of time before her curiosity overtook her manners and she would begin the horrid questioning. He felt himself shudder but was unable to suppress it.

"Are you ok?" Christine asked at the sight of him trembling. Erik took a second to school his features into a non-committal expression.

"I'm fine, " he lied. Christine raised an eyebrow.

"Fine? You do know what fine stands for, don't you?" she asked with a smirk. Erik sat confused.

"It means well, in good health, all right, everything is kosher, etc." Christine shook her head.

"Nope, wrong answer." Erik gave her a blank look and she giggled softly. It sounded like trickling water and beautifully musical.

"Fine stands for," she held up four fingers and lowered each one as she named the points. "freaked-out, insecure, neurotic, and emotion. Are you still fine?" she teased. Erik was in shock. What she had just described was him exactly. He was definitely fine. He cleared his throat and regained his composure.

"I am all right. Is that better?" He asked with a sly grin.

Christine nodded and turned her attention back to the last of her food; Erik followed suit and soon they were lost in their own thoughts once again.

So many things to tell her, but how do I make her see the truth about my past? It's impossible. She'll be like everyone else and flee as far as she can away from me. The thought sent tears to his eyes but he willed them into submission, and speared his last bite of steak. Chewing, he looked up to find Christine gazing at him curiously. Uh oh, he thought. It's starting.

He's holding back. He's hiding, but what I can't decide. Why won't he be the amazing man I know he can be to the world? I can see that man inside. Christine's eyes began to sting, but she fought her tears back and gazed at Erik. How can I get him to open up, even just a little? Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. She had not really heard him sing since the night they broke into Farber Auditorium. She stood up and took Erik's left hand.

"Come," she tugged lightly, raising Erik to his feet. "Will you sing for me again?"

"I would be honored," he said softly and raised her hand to his lips. He turned to lead her down to the music room, but turned back when he encountered resistance. Christine shook her head and blushed.

"No, right here," she motioned toward the piano. "Right now."

Erik cocked his head and looked into her eyes with curiosity. Surely, even Christine would be able to recognize that this piano was downright mediocre compared to the one in the music room- her room, but he wasn't going to argue.

"I can deny you nothing, my dear," he smiled softly at her. Sitting on the piano bench, he lifted the cover and contemplated what he would sing. Christine settled herself next to him on the bench. It was a little crowded with two people and Erik was used to having space when he played, but there was no complaint. Just having Christine next to him made everything right. The look of eager anticipation and delight on the girl's face made his spirit soar. He placed his hands on the keys and began to play a melody he had felt in his heart since the day he first saw Christine, but had never played out loud.

Look into my eyes - you will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart - search your soul
And when you find me there you'll search no more
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for
You know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you

He glanced over at Christine who had fallen silent and appeared to be lost in lovely thoughts. She could tell that he was pouring his soul out into this song. It sent pleasant shivers up her spine and she could feel goose-bumps rising on her arms.

Look into my heart - you will find
There's nothin' there to hide
Take me as I am - take my life
I would give it all I would sacrifice
Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for
I can't help it there's nothin' I want more
Ya know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you

Here, Erik played a piano break and closed his eyes, allowing the music to simply flow from his heart onto the keyboard. He felt a shift of weight and saw that Christine had gotten up to stand over by his mirror. She smiled at her reflection which she now saw now in a completely different way thanks to Erik. She stood with proper posture and she definitely looked more confident. She turned her head to look at Erik as he started to sing again.

There's no love - like your love
And no other - could give more love
There's nowhere - unless you're there
All the time - all the way

Christine opened her mouth and let her voice flow with Erik's. It blended perfectly even though there was no possible way for her to know that words, she sang them in perfect harmony. Erik heard her voice mingle with his and looked over at her. His hands stopped playing the accompaniment but his voice kept singing as he stood up and gracefully glided over to her. She could tell that he wasn't just singing for her, he was singing to her. Erik was pouring out all of the emotions he had been building up for Christine.

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
I can't help it there's nothin' I want more
I would fight for you - I'd lie for you
Walk the wire for you - Ya I'd die for you

Christine broke her direct gaze from Erik and instead turned toward the mirror. Erik took behind her and she sang to his reflection. What she saw in front of her nearly took her breath away. Only the left side of Erik's face reflected in the mirror, but it mirrored itself making a full face like she had experienced before. A mask-less face. This was what Erik had meant. This was the real him, the way he felt on the inside.

Ya know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you

A.N. ((Everything I Do) I Do It For You- Bryan Adams)

Erik paid no attention to his reflection in the mirror. He had seen it enough times to know it was only a lie. He had designed it, foolishly believing that if he stared at the image of his perfect face long enough, it would become reality. Instead, he beheld the image of his angel. She was so perfect and beautiful. He reached up and placed his right forearm across her shoulders, just beneath her delicate throat and gently drew her closer to him. She melted into his muscular chest, closed her eyes, and lightly rested her head in the crook of his elbow. Christine fell silent while Erik sang the last lines like that, swaying together to the silent music. He sang softly right next to her ear and she could feel his breath sending the now ever-present shivers through her body. She trembled slightly as her emotions crashed upon her like a giant wave. She opened her eyes and looked directly at Erik's image in the mirror.

"Do you mean it?" she asked in a near-breathless whisper. "That song you sang to me...is it true?"

Erik's eyes intensified and his wistful look disappeared. He spun Christine around to face and looked deeply into her eyes, all nervousness and uncertainties gone.

"Every word. That song is yours. You inspired it and only you will ever hear it."

Christine brought her arms up to circle his neck and pressed her body closer to him. She stared back into his eyes and realized that she was indeed quickly falling in love with this man. If she was to love him, however, there could be no boundaries between them, no secrets to hide. The mask stood like a large brick wall separating them. Before she even knew what she was doing, her hands crept up through his soft black hair and found the tie that held the mask in place. Deftly, she slid the tie up and removed the barrier in one swift motion.

She froze in shock at the sight in front of her. As handsome and enchanting as the normal side of his face was, the half covered up by the mask was disturbingly disfigured and haunting. The flesh was a horrific combination of pale white and bright pink. In some areas it appeared to be pulled far too tight while other areas bulged unnaturally. There was no hair or eyebrow on that side of his face and his ear looked like it had been almost melted right off. It was a tragic sight and one which Christine could never have imagined. Erik, too, froze in place for a fraction of an instant as his world and rationality crumbled around him and all of his worst fears came true. Primal survival instinct kicked in without his knowledge.

Christine frozen pose was short lived as Erik harshly pushed her away from him, accidentally striking her in the face in the process, and sent her crashing into the edge of the desk. He then spun around, letting loose terrifying howl and a string of expletives before wheeling around to face her with his right hand up attempting to cover his horrific face.

"DAMNIT, CHRISTINE! YOU SELFISH LITTLE BITCH," he boomed. Christine's eyes went wide from his sudden outburst and she scooted back until she felt her back pressed against his desk where she cowered. Her hand reached up to cover her bruised cheek.

"You betrayed me. I trusted you and you betrayed me," he hissed, his stare cold and steely. This was the side of him Christine had never wanted to see and she could tell he was within moments of loosing all control. Tears of fear sprung to her eyes as she shook her head. No, she had not meant to betray him. She just wanted to see him so she could tell Erik she loved him...all of him. What she had not anticipated was the violent fury that had lurked beneath the surface. Her heart was pounding as Erik continued his barrage. She observed her surroundings for an escape route. If she could just get past Erik to his right, she could run out the door. But how do I get out of the lair? She thought, panicked. He had never shown her the exit to the outside world. If only she could figure out where the passageway behind her dorm room mirror was, maybe then she could escape.

Suddenly, the room was shrouded in an eerie silence. Christine could feel her heart pounding loudly against her chest and was gasping for breath. She stole a glance at Erik who was standing next to the piano softly running his fingers across the smooth wood.

"Erik?" she whispered, but no sound came out. She tried swallowing even though her mouth felt full of cotton, and tried again.

"Erik?" she croaked. He did not reply. Shakily, she rose to her feet and glanced at the broad back. Slowly, she took a step closer, trying to keep her trembling at bay.

"I thought you were different," he mumbled so softly that Christine was unsure if he actually spoke. "I thought things would be different."

"Erik, I'm so sorry," she sobbed and took another tentative step closer.

"You're so sorry," Erik replied in a sarcastic scathing tone that sent the hairs on Christine's neck flying up. It was bone-chillingly calm and cruel. "Everyone is so sorry. I've heard it all before." He turned and sneered.

"Sorry doesn't change anything," he turned to face Christine and stealthily got so close to her face that she could feel his breath on her face as he spoke. What once was a pleasant sensation was now one of fear and dread.

"So, you wanted to see what lay under the mask did you, now you have," he ripped his hand away from his face and yelled, "Well, do you like what you see! Are you satisfied now! Are you going to be telling all of your little friends about the monster! ARE YOU!"

Christine shook her head and tried to move away. He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. "Have you gotten a good enough look?" he asked, his voice dangerous and sarcastic once again. "You have heard the old saying 'curiosity killed the cat' haven't you? Well, my dear. You are quite the feline."

Christine's face went white and her eyes bulged in fear. She took frozen in place as the realization of his words struck her like a bolt of lightening. He was going to kill her. In a flash, her own survival instinct kicked in and she brought up her knee to connect with his groin. He roared in pain as she pushed him away from her and fled out the bedroom door. She jumped down the stairs three at a time and stopped at the music room. No, he would surely find her there. After fleeing around the hidden rooms like a bird trapped inside a house, she finally fled into the bathroom. At least she knew that door had a lock. Common sense would have told her that no locked room was safe because Erik, of course, would have the key, but common sense had left her as quickly as she had left Erik's room. She sat shaking like a trapped animal on the closed toilet seat waiting for her doom to come storming through the door.