A/N: I am moving onwards with this story…it will eventually be finished. Have patience.

Disclaimer: Don't own it unfortunately; if I did the ending would not be the way it is now…

Chapter VIII-Accounting for the Damage

An unfamiliar gloom overcast the lair when Christine finally got to the other side of the lake. It felt so empty and torn apart. She didn't know how broken down the place actually was after the mob was through with it, until that moment.

As she paced from one room to another, tears began to form in her eyes. All the memories that happened within those walls, started coming back to her as clear as day. She had grown to see this place as a sort of second home.

Christine wandered into the Music Room and froze. The place had been utterly destroyed. The organ was no longer in its majestic state. Half of the pipes were broken and there was also some interior damage, which implied that it was no longer fit to be played. She sat down on a stool that she found nearby, buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Oh, those endless days long ago, when her Angel produced delightful music in that very room. Her hands trembled as she reached out to run her fingers over the keys. 'Oh my dear beloved, what have they done to your house?' She thought.

She knew he would be heartbroken to see his lair in such a state. Christine thought for a moment then decided to restore some of hishome, for when he returned. She made her way to the room that she had occupied while she stayed there. It was a real shock that it was left untouched. All her things were still there just as they were. She didn't dwell on the thought for long.She quickly changed into another leisure dress that was more appropriate for cleaning.

Christine started to workon restoring the Music Room first. She collected all what was left of his sheet music compositions andrearranged it to the best of her ability, but she found some were missing. She bound them together with a piece of string and carefully placed them on the shelf.

She was about turn to tackle the dust that had formed, when something caught her eye. His violin case was still there and intact. She lifted it off the shelf to take a closer look. She wiped it off with the hem of her dress. Gold letters appeared on the leather case, spelling out the word Erik. This single word whirled her into a memory when she first learned his name.

She awaited the arrival of her voice teacher in her dressing room. Christine fidgeted with her hairbrush nervously. She wanted to appear presentable to him. She had changed into her best comfort clothes and brushed out all of her curls. His voice filled the room as soon the clock struck the hour. "Christine…"

"Hello, Angel." Her face lit up. "What will we be working on today?"

"I was thinking that we should start Act Two of Hannibal. Shall we begin your warm up exercises?" He started playing the violin.

Christine sang along, but her mind drifted as it usually did. She realized that the music had stopped. The angelic voice interrupted her thoughts. "Christine…Christine, did you hear anything that I just said?"

She coloured when she realized that she hadn't. She shook her head slightly and whispered an apology.

He repeated himself with a touch of impatience in his voice. "I said try to focus on your enunciation of the notes a little more,and with thatI think you have the potential to become a Prima Donna."

She could have kicked herself, because here was her Angel of Music, giving her a compliment and she wasn't even listening.

He continued, disrupting her thoughts, "Are you all right, child? You seem to have something on your mind? Is there anything troubling you?"

She coloured again, a deeper shade of red. She decided she could put her curiosity at ease by just simply asking him. "Angel? Do you have a name? I heard a long time ago somewhere, that all angels have names, I was wondering what yours was."

Although she was unable to see him, she felt the awkward silence. "Angel…?"

"Yes I have a name. It is Erik."

"Erik." She repeated. Her mind fell into thought again. Erik, what a beautiful name.

"You sound tired, perhaps we should draw this lesson to a close for tonight." She agreed as she started to yawn.

"Goodnight my Angel…Erik." He told her to sleep well and with that he was gone.

'What a beautiful name indeed.'It suited him well. Not meaning his dismantled face,which she could still picture in her mind, but in reference to his beautiful personality. Christine wondered why she never really used the name before. She had thought before, that it was so impersonal and unfitting to their relationship at the time. 'My Angel' made her feel like he was truly her guardian, who always looked out for her. Now that their relationship deepened, she considered using his real name more often when referred to him. She was reminded of a quote that she had readlong ago thatphrasedit sowell, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

A/N: Okay, there you have it. You have now learned the reason of Christine's usage of the phrase "My Angel" or "The Phantom" when she is referring to Erik. From this point on I will use Erik's name more often in the chapters.

By the way, if you didn't recognize the quote at the end, it is credited to Mr. William Shakespeare from Romeo and Juliet, another one of my favorite stories.

Thank you for reading and reviewing.