Whoa, I updated! Sorry that it took so long, but be patient I'll keep updating... Eventually. Lol.

For those who doesn't remember; I don't own Erik, but Elisa is my own creation.

Sorry, this is a bit short chapter...

Chapter 5

On the next day Elisa couldn't get the the rose which she had seen on the Christine's grave out of her mind. She studied and practiced in Academy like in any other day, but she was absent-minded. When the practice was over she wandered first towards home, but when she was on the end of the street where she should turn to home, she stood for a moment and then with a sigh she turned on other direction. I shouldn't be doing this…

When she was getting closer to the old theatre she saw some Gestapo officers driving past her and tried to look like she knew what she was doing. Elisa knew that people was arrested by Gestapo for the smallest reasons and she didn't want to raise any kind of suspicions. For Gestapo officers she just wanted to appear as a student of music who was going home a violin box on her hand.

When Elisa was by the door of the theatre she made sure that no one saw her going in. Her mind was still yelling that she was making a big mistake, but the other voice inside her said that she should let Erik to hear her play violin.

Elisa saw couple of homeless people when she entered the big hall where the stage was. When they saw the blonde standing by the door, they stood and walked towards her. Without a word they passed her and left the building, but Elisa was sure that the woman had winked to her. She shrugged a little and approached the stage hesitating. She tried to listen carefully in case she would hear Erik's voice from somewhere but she didn't hear a sound. She got up to the stage and took her violin from the box. She played first few sounds and listened then again in silence, but when there was no sign that there was anyone else on the building, she started to play a concerto made for violin from the opera Aida.

Erik was just going down back to his torture chamber when he heard the first sounds of violin. He stood silent on the underground passage but when he didn't hear anything after a couple of sounds, he was just going to carry on, when the sound reached his ears again. He turned to go back upstairs and when he got to the backstage he peeked on the stage. He saw the blonde woman standing her back to him and she was playing violin. Erik stood silent for a moment listening Elisa play. He recognized the true talent when he heard it and this young woman didn't just have a beautiful voice, she could also play violin. Only then Erik realized that he didn't have his mask on, so it was better that Elisa didn't see him, or at least he wasn't going to show her his disfigured part of face. He made his way to the closest box of the stage, where he could sit without worries. Most of the boxes were in condition that there wasn't safe to be, but the box number five was still in pretty good condition, mainly because Erik had made sure that there was safe to hide and follow what was happening in the ruins of the theatre.

When Elisa had played for a while she got the feeling that someone was watching her. She stopped and put the violin down for few minutes, but when she didn't see anyone and didn't hear anything, she sighed and started to play again. When she got to the end of the song, she put the violin down again and then she heard some kind of swish of clothes and looked up towards the box number five. She thought that the swish had come from there.

"Erik? Is that you?"

There was total silence for a moment and Elisa squinted to see better to the box. She thought that she saw a shadow of a man over there.

"Yes, Elisa. It's me." Came an answer after minute or two. Erik made sure that he was standing on the shadows and Elisa didn't see his face properly. He wasn't wearing any kind of mask and he was sure that Elisa wasn't ready to see his disfigured face.

"You scared me. I thought first that there was some homeless person or soldier or worse." Elisa sighed.

"Like a Gestapo officer?" Erik said quietly so that Elisa couldn't hear him.

"What?" Elisa yelled from the stage.

" Sorry if I scared you." He yelled back. "You didn't tell me that you play violin."

"You didn't ask. I've played since I was five."

"You are very talented." Erik said truthfully.

"Thank you." Elisa was a little surprised of the happy feeling which she got when Erik praised her. She had heard that everyone considered him as a genius and she felt good when she heard that he thought she was talented.

"I don't want to yell to you over there." Elisa watched directly to Erik, who was standing so that she couldn't see his face. "Would you come here? I want to talk to you."

"No." Erik raised his voice and Elisa felt like his voice was echoing around the ruins. She took few steps backwards.

"I... I just thought that it would be actually nice to see you face to face." She stammered.

Erik sensed that she had scared the blonde again and tried to get a little more gentle tone to his voice.

"I can't come there now. But if you come back later, we can talk."

He's not wearing a mask. That's why he doesn't want to come down. He doesn't want to make me afraid of him, but it's not the scars he has what I'm afraid of.

"If you're not wearing any kind of mask, it doesn't matter. I don't care what your face looks like."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Erik replied dryly.

"But I am. I don't care what you look like." There was firmness in Elisa's voice.

"Don't push me, Elisa LeCheval." Erik's voice echoed around the ruins.

"Alright then." Elisa sighed trying not to show that she was a little afraid of this dark side of Erik, which appeared in his voice. "Don't come here then. But I'm leaving now."

Elisa put her violin back to the case and was leaving the stage when Erik spoke again.

"Would you play another song? Just for me?" His voice was calm and gentle again and Elisa looked up to the boxes.

"If you come down here." She had so stubborn tone on her voice that Eric just sighed.

"Can't you imagine that you are in concert playing infront audience and one of the spectators just happen to be me?"

"No. I think it's rather difficult here in the ruins. And I certainly don't want audience." Elisa watched still straight to Erik who stood in the shadows.

"Alright then. But would you come tomorrow again? Then I will come down listen to you."

"You promise?" Elisa knew that she sounded a little childish and blushed a little. She certainly didn't want to give Erik the impression that she really wanted him to listen her play, not even when it was the truth. Erik smiled a little, her tone hadn't gone unnoticed from him.

"I promise."

"Good. See you tomorrow." Elisa said and started to walk towards the outer door as fast as she could.

"Elisa!" The blonde turned when she heard Erik calling her. "Thanks for coming here again. I know you got scared a week ago..."

Elisa just nodded because she didn't know how to answer. I can't tell him that this was my pleasure. He might understand it a wrong way.

Elisa left the ruined building and walked to home in her deep thoughts, even couple of Gestapo cars which drove past her didn't make her jump. When she opened the door to her and Thomas' appartment, she noticed that her boyfriend wasn't there and she guessed that he had been called to work. Elisa sat in silence for a moment and then she stood up giving out a heavy sigh. She had homework to do and she thought that it was best to do it now when she had time.