Hullo! Thank you everyone for your reviews! I'm typing as fast as my little fingers let me! I'm glad that you guys "embraced" my Erik and dind't think low of him. I told you he was too perfect for a reason! (which was to swoon Christine, in case I didn't put it in) He achieved his goal at the end. Anyways, about the wedding... (sneaky laughter) yeah, that's all I'm going to say about that. Here is chapter fourty-Three:

The Mask

Even though Meg had people planning the wedding for her, she wanted to overlook every aspect of it. So Christine found herself being dragged around the Big Apple with her best friend.

They had a bachelorette party but Meg refused the traditional male dancer. It was a good thing, too because Christine didn't want one either. Instead they stayed in her apartment and talked about the good old days with her mom.

Madame Giry arrived a day after Christine with a hug to receive them both.

Christine saw that she had grown older than the last time she had seen her. Her blond hair was graying with age, she wore glasses and had a cane. It wasn't for walking as she thought, she told her it was to help her from time to time. She also said it was used to keep the men from swooning and rushing at her.

All three had laughed and made their way to Meg's apartment. Meg kicked Philippe out of the apartment so it would seem like she owned it by herself for her mother's sake. But Philippe being the very stubborn person that he was, came over almost every night.

Madame Giry made her famous cooking for Philippe when he went over. Madame Giry just like Christine could see that they were in love, especially by the way Meg said, "Three more days, three more days."

Meg and Christine did everything together, they made sure everything was in order at the last minute, made sure the cake was done on time, that the guests handed in the RSVP. Everything.

And by the time that it was the day before Meg's wedding, Christine couldn't have been happier, no more errands to run. She had been hungry and exhausted all week. The morning before her wedding, just as Christine was getting dressed her cell phone rang.

Still yawning from having to wake so early she answered the phone. "Hello?

She could hear a chuckle on the other end. "Tired, angel?"

Christine smiled as she recognized the voice. "Exhausted."

"I was calling to let you know that I'm in New York."

Christine ran her fingers through her hair to comb it out. "I was wondering when you were going to show up, Erik."

"I told you I would come," he stated simply. "Where are you now?"

"Meg's apartment," Christine told him.

"Little Giry is excited?" he asked.

Christine smiled. "Last night, she had the veil on her head and was jumping on the bed. I think excited is putting it mildly."

He laughed.

"You can't blame the girl," Christine said stretching. "She's getting married, I know I'd be the same."

"I'd like to find out," he told her.

Christine blanched. "R-really?"

"Yes," he said calmly. "All women dream of their wedding day, yes?"

Christine nodded sheepishly. "Well, yeah."

"Tell me of your wedding, Christine," he said to her. "What is it like?"

Christine bit her bottom lip. Was she really having this conversation with him?

"Don't be afraid, angel," he told her. "It's just me."

That's why I'm afraid. He wasn't indirectly telling her that he wanted to marry her, was he? She mentally slapped herself. Of course not! It was too soon anyway. She stood up from the bed and went to the kitchen to get a snack. "Well, a wedding's a wedding. There's white and people and a priest."

"There aren't roses?" he asked with a silky voice. "Your white dress?"

She was about to speak when Meg grabbed her phone and put it to her ear. "Hello, is this Christine's mysterious date?"

"Meg!" Christine tried to grab the phone. "Stop!"

"Erik, is it?" Meg asked him with a smile. "Yes, well Erik, guess what? I'm getting married tomorrow!" She took off running squealing handing Christine the phone. "Momma, I'm getting married tomorrow!"

Christine rolled her eyes. "Erik?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Sorry about that," Christine apologized. "She's really happy."

"I can hear that," Erik stated, chuckling. Then he unexpectedly groaned. "This is torture!"

"What is?" Christine asked him.

"Knowing we are in the same city but not seeing you. I need to see you, Christine."

She smiled. "Maybe we can have dinner. Let me check something." She put the phone on her shoulder and called for Meg.

Meg came back smiling.

"What are we going to do tonight?"

"Catch my beauty sleep for the wedding tomorrow," she cleared her throat. "My wedding."

Christine laughed and placed her phone back on her ear, Meg leaving. "There's a restaurant called Chandra's in the corner of sixth and Broadway. They have live music every night, you want to go?"

"Of course, but I worry about people-"

Christine smiled. "It's very exclusive, private, Philippe took us the other day. They have good food."

She could hear the happiness in his voice. "I shall be there. Around six, then?"

"Six, it is," she told him.

"Christine!"

"What?" she asked Meg as she called for her across the apartment.

'Victoria's Secret calls!" Meg told her. "I'm sure you can get something for yourself too!"

Christine slapped her forehead. It was a good thing Erik wasn't there or else he would have seen her blushing furiously. She knew Meg meant it as a joke but she was embarrassed just the same.

"Erik," she told him. "I got to go. I'll see you tonight. Bye." Once she hung up she fought all urge to throw her phone at Meg's head.

Meg laughed mischievously. "I am leaving little to his imagination aren't I?"

Christine glared daggers at her. "Yes, thank you, Megan."

Meg laughed. "Come on, we still have one more thing to do."

Meg did have a place to go. Even though Meg was kidding she really went to Victoria's Secret. She ignored Meg when she insisted on buying her something.

It was around five o'clock when they went back to the apartment and Christine began getting ready for her date.

"Woohoo, Christine," Meg said laughing. "Going on a date with the boyfriend."

Christine laughed at her as she put her earrings on after she dressed. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Meg nodded. "No problem." Then she looked at her seriously from the couch. "You guys are moving kind of fast, aren't you?"

Christine just blinked at her.

Meg looked at her sheepishly from the couch in front of the television. Meg had decided to stay in and relax before the wedding. She said she didn't want to have bags under her eyes at the ceremony.

Christine on the other hand was dressed to impress. She had on a periwinkle dress with white heels, she really wanted to impress Erik. She had make up on which she hardly used and her hair was up in an elegant bun.

Christine sat next to her friend.

"I hate to butt in, Christine but how did you fall in love so fast?"

Christine sighed. "Meg, please don't."

It seemed as if she had been bottling her emotions up for a long tim because in the next moment she exploded. "Don't what?" Meg asked in anger. "Christine you and Raoul were in love for so long! You two were always together and you broke up! The same week you started going out with a guy and four months later you're in love! How can that be?"

Christine said her name softly.

"Meg, what?" She asked standing up, yelling. "Raoul and you are my best friends! Raoul will be my brother-in-law and he's in pain, Christine!" Her face was starting to turn pink. "He's my best friend and I can't let him be in pain any longer. Don't you see the way he looks at you, he still loves you!"

"He should have thought of that before he broke up with me!"

Meg just stared at her. Christine had never yelled, she hated shouting at people. She hated arguing. But not now, she refused to let Meg ruin her relationship because of Raoul.

Christine took a deep breath. "Meg, I don't expect you to understand." She looked at her green eyes. "I'm a big girl, I know what I'm doing."

Meg sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she sat down. "I'm sorry, Christine. I love you guys very much I don't want to see you guys miserable."

"I'm not miserable, Meg." Christine closed her eyes and leaned back on the couch. "I'm happy. Happier than I've been in a long time."

Meg smiled with compassion. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Christine placed her head on Meg's shoulder. "Me too."

Meg looked at the clock over the television. "Tell me more about him, Christine. I want to know what he's like."

Christine sighed against her friend. "He's sweet and funny and sophisticated. He loves everything I love. He interested about things I say. The way he talks to me, Meg. The simple things he does, it's all so adorable. He takes every opportunity he has to tell me how he feels. He's always been there for me even though at one point I hated him." Christine paused. "Even after everything I did to him, he forgave me and still loved me."

"Why?" Meg asked. "What did you do?"

Christine licked her gloss lips and sat up straight facing her blond friend. "Meg, I haven't told you everything about him. No one knows his history or mine and I expect to keep it that way. Please, don't tell anyone."

Meg nodded. "I don't gossip anymore, Christine."

Christine smiled and started telling her best friend everything, starting with: "Erik is the Phantom of the Auditorium."

Christine had never seen Meg so quiet in all her life. The little blond nodded all the time while Christine retold her story. She told her of the depression she had after her father died and his promise of the Angel of Music, of Erik, the man obsessively in love with her and the Phantom. She told her of how desperate she was to believe in the Angel because of her father's death. She told her of how scared she had been at that point of her life. She told her of her love for Raoul, the sacrifice she was willing to make in order to save him.

There wasn't an emotion she had felt that she hadn't left out. She told her of the nightmares she had after he left, she told her everything, everything that had happened between Raoul, Erik and herself in the last five years. She told her again of how they met again and how slowly but surely she had fallen in love with him. She told her of Erik's surgery, their kiss in Paris and the night they spent together. She told her everything and in the end she felt relieved, she didn't know how much she needed to vent, to tell someone everything that happened to her, her small tortures. How she finally found love after Raoul broke her heart.

Finally when she finished Meg just looked at her with sad eyes.

Christine looked at Meg smiling.

"I love him, Meg," Christine rejoiced in the thought. "I know I do."

Meg bit her lip and stood. "Wait here a minute."

Christine waited and Meg went into a room, coming out with something white in her hands. Christine looked at her puzzled when she handed it to her.

As she took away the white tissue paper, Meg spoke. "After the night of the fire, I went back. Only I went to see if the Phantom really had gone, if the stories were true. And I found that."

Christine opened the paper and saw what Meg meant. It was the white porcelain half-mask that used to taunt her. The one that Erik held on to, the one that had protected him from the world.

"It's to make me remember, what happened before was not a dream. It's to remind me not to trust everyone I meet."

Christine looked at her still confused.

Meg took her hand. "He killed people, Christine. Not even adults yet. Do you forgive him for that?"

Christine looked at the mask. "He's changed, Meg. I know he has."

"People don't change, Christine. He might say he has but are you sure? Maybe he's just saying it because he wants you back."

"He would never lie to me," Christine said softly.

"But he'll do it to get you back, wouldn't he?"

Christine looked at the mask again with doubt in her mind. "He wouldn't," she said softly. She looked up at Meg, why was she being so put down by this? Anger shot through Christine thinking that Meg should be happy for her that she had found someone to heal her heart. She had found love again, shouldn't she be happy for her?

Christine stood and gave her the mask, practically forcing it in her hands. "I have to go, he's expecting me for dinner."

Meg followed her to the door, wrapping the mask in the tissue paper again. She put it in her hands when she opened the door. "I want you to take it. It will remind you of what I just said to you."

Christine absently put in the purse she held in her hands. Then she left the apartment, doubting every feeling she had.

In case you were wondering why Erik had a mask during the shoot while Meg had the other one. Very simple really: He made another one. he does that you know. Makes almost everything out of scratch, he's a genuis like that. (smiles) Okay, what else? Oh, yes, don't fear Erik, his evil past is behind him even though it may not seem like it. As far as killing Raoul...(looks at LadyQ's review) where would the drama be without him?
To come: Chapter Fourty-Four: A Late Ceremony