Disclaimer: All originating characters and storylines belong to their respectful owner. This is mostly a continuation of ALW's work, but I do throw GL a couple of good nods. All new characters and sub-plots are my original work and are not to be used/reproduced without my expressed permission. Enjoy the story and shoot some feedback my way if you can! Thanks for reading.

Twinkle22: I am all about suspense. Thanks for the review. It means a lot.

Chapter Twenty

"I named him after his father. Erik came from a very prominent family. I had been traveling with the fair since birth, but after my mother passed away from sickness, my father mysteriously disappeared. There are some people who believed it was my uncle that murdered him and later disposed of his body. Knowing his treacherous nature, I would not put it past him. I was only eleven when my mother died. Her brother, Costin, became my sole caretaker. I had no other immediate family.

"From an early age, I knew that I was different from the other girls I grew up with. Even as a child, many strangers would comment on my beauty and poise. The unique color of my eyes, even now, is a trait cherished by my people. I also started the transformation into becoming a woman much earlier than other girls. By the age of ten I was a head taller than the others and shapelier. I began attracting the attention of many men in our traveling troupe.

"Soon after my mother's death, my uncle began to use my body and beauty to his advantage. I became a dancer whose sole purpose was to make men empty their pocketbooks in the hopes of some personal attention from me. There were many experienced women in my group that did not come close to making the money that I was able to for my uncle. After seeing my 'success' many other girls tried to fashion themselves after me. Younger girls were being sold for extraordinary prices to foreign men who wanted a taste of younger flesh. I was thankful that my uncle shielded me from this despicable horror.

"After two years, I was the highest paid entertainer. At only thirteen I was able to seduce thousands of franks from noblemen and dignitaries in a single evening. I knew many older men came to my uncle with offers to place their sweaty, dirty hands on me in horrible ways; I was not that naïve. I felt confident that my uncle knew that my 'innocence' was one of my most cherished possessions.

"It was hard not to notice Erik. From his clothes and presence, I knew that he was a man of worth. He must have been twice my age. I do not know if he knew how old I really was, but I doubt that it would have dissuaded him from seeking my company. I knew I looked much older than my thirteen years. Perhaps it was my newfound sense of importance or the fact that I had grown tired of merely playing a dancing girl, but when I danced for him, I allowed myself to flirt and banter openly with him. This type of behavior was forbidden, but I loved the way he looked at me and could not stop myself.

"Now, you must understand that in those days, it was not uncommon for a girl of fourteen, fifteen, or even thirteen start looking for a prospective husband. Many families were anxious to marry off their daughters to save money. Many older men had lost wives and were forced to raise their children by themselves. Most were desperate to find a quick replacement. A young, impressionable girl was highly sought after. She could be 'trained' to his every desire.

"While we were in Paris, he came to my show every night for five days straight. Each time he did, he left my Uncle Costin a generous sum of money and gave me a farewell kiss on the palm of my right hand. To this day, I can still feel how his whiskers tickled my palm and how soft his lips felt against my skin.

"The last night I performed, Erik was not there. I am sure my performance that night suffered for it. However, Costin was missing as well. I found this strange, as he was always enticing my patrons to pull out more coins for the chance to have me dance before them. When I went back to the wagon to rest for the night, I saw Erik and Costin sitting at the table with a large amount of gold before them. As soon as they saw I was there, Erik pulled the coins toward him into a small leather pouch. He smiled at me and stood up thanking my uncle. As he left, he stopped next to me and whispered into my ear, 'I have it all arranged. You will meet with me tomorrow night.' Right before he shut the door behind him, Erik called out to my uncle, 'Make sure she is dressed splendidly. It should be a night to remember.' He winked at me. After that, all I could hear in my ears was the 'Thunk, thunk, thunk' of my heart beating rapidly.

"Now you can see what this looks like to a young girl with an infatuation of love and marriage. It was easy for me to think that I had won the heart of a wealthy nobleman with nothing but my looks and charm and he was asking Costin for permission to marry me. I excitedly asked my uncle, 'He desires to have me? Above everyone else?'

"Costin laughed, 'Only you. You are excited then?' I nodded my head enthusiastically. He got up from the table. 'I will have a dress ready for you," he called out to me as he was leaving. 'I must see how we did tonight. Already it has been MOST profitable. You should rest.'

"The next morning, as the troupe was packing up, I remained in my wagon dreaming of a better life. Some of the girls my age had overheard talks of my meeting with Erik and were surrounded me with questions. 'When do you think you will be married?' 'Why do you want to leave us?' 'Do you think he has any other friends that would want to marry me, too?'

"I was quick to brag and boast about how my situation in life was much better than theirs. Magda, an older girl had joined us in the afternoon. She was also a dancer and always jealous of my success. Pouting in the corner, she asked loudly above our chatter, 'Why do you think he wants to marry a Gypsy?' We all stopped and stared at her. She walked up to me, 'What do you think a Frenchman could see in a young, silly Romanian girl that he couldn't find in someone of his own kind?' She laughed at me and rudely gestured in-between her legs, 'This is the only thing of any value to him. And once he has had his fill, he will toss you on the side of the road taking your dignity with him.'

"At this point, I was obstinate. I knew that her mother and father used her as nothing more than an object they could barter with, like many of the other girls at the camp. I retorted, 'And you would know better than any one of us! You are nothing but a low-level prostitute that is jealous of my good fortune.' The girls gasped and stared wide-eyed at the two of us.

"After a moment of silence. Magda put her face nose-to-nose with mine. I anticipated that she would strike me, but Magda laughed, 'You will see. You are stupid to think otherwise. Costin would never let someone like you go. Why else do you think that your father suddenly vanished into thin air? How else would your uncle be able to get his hands on you?' I placed both of my hands on her shoulders and pushed her away. Magda laughed again. "Fine. Stay ignorant. Place your hopes and wishes on someone who sees you as nothing but a whore. You will be quick to apologize to all of us.'

"The other girls comforted me after she left. 'She is just jealous, as you said.' 'She knows that no one will have her now that she has been with so many other men.' They told me how envious they were of my position and how any girl would be so lucky to win a husband like Erik. But Magda had implanted her seed of doubt into my head. It wasn't long before I started to see my situation as she did.

"Costin came by later in the early evening with a pink embroidered dress. He laid it across my bed. He asked, 'Do you need any help getting ready for tonight? I can send someone over.' I shook my head no. My stomach twisted and fluttered with anticipation. Seeing the beautiful dress seemed to me to be the final piece of confirmation of what was to come. It put my worries away.

"Costin drove me away in a small carriage. We arrived at a small cottage just on the outskirts of Paris. It was a simple house with very little furnishing. It caught me by surprise, but Erik was waiting for us in the main room looking relieved and eager to see me. 'I am glad that you were able to find your way,' Erik said smiling at Costin. Erik turned to me and said hoarsely, 'I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to seeing you tonight.' He removed my cloak and gently ran the back of his hand across my cheek. 'You look magnificent.'

"I smiled at him and looked to Costin for the next cue of what was to happen. Costin turned back to Erik. 'So I assume everything is as you wanted?' he asked. Erik nodded and reached into his front pocket to pull out the same leather pouch I had seen him with the night before. He placed the bag into my uncle's hand. 'Here is the remaining amount.' I must have had a puzzled look on my face as stared at Costin.

"Costin laughed, 'Young girls never know what to expect. Take care of this good gentleman. He has rewarded me kindly." Turning back to Erik, he said, 'I will return in two days, as promised.'"

Yessinia stopped for the first time. She looked up to Father Rapier, "It was only then did I realize that my worst dream had come true. Magda had been right from the beginning." Father Rapier placed his hand on top of hers.

Christine loosened her grip on the priest's handkerchief she had clutched in her hands. Her knuckles had grown white. Her mouth that had remained open in horror finally closed.

Yessinia continued, "By the time I realized I was with child, it was already too late." Father Rapier continued to hold her hand. "We had tricks, drank tonics to get rid of any - indiscretions - that might happen." A tear had started running down her face. "I knew that I shouldn't have drank all those poisons, but I was desperate." She looked off into the distance, "My son was born three days before my fourteenth birthday."

"After I had seen his face, I didn't know what to do. They were calling him the 'Demon Child.'" Yessinia sobbed into the hand that Father Rapier was holding. She cried out in-between her gasps, "And it was my fault! I did this to him!"

Christine shuffled in her seat not knowing if there was anything she could do. Father Rapier hugged Yessinia trying to calm her down, "You were young, my dear, there was no way you could have known."

After Yessinia controlled herself, she looked up to the ceiling to stop herself from crying. She whispered, "He was so beautiful in my eyes. The left side of his face was perfect in every way. He looked so much like his father. That's why I named Erik after him. No matter what his father might have done to me, it wasn't my baby's fault. My baby deserved to know the truth." Her nose was running down her face. Christine sheepishly offered the handkerchief she was holding, which Yessinia took willingly. "I never got the opportunity to tell him. My Erik was taken from me. Costin claimed him and started parading him around with the rest of the attractions.

"I should have been stronger. I should have been able to save him from that life," Yessinia whispered. "After Costin was dead, I searched for days. No one knew where he went. Everyone thought him to be dead. Every year we came here, I looked for him. For ten years I tried to find out what became of him. It was too much on my heart to hope every year that I would find him. I gave up." She started crying again, "I gave up on my son, and he was here the entire time waiting for me to find him."

Christine tried to comfort her as best she could, "He grew up to be a powerful, intelligent, and caring man. He is a genius. I would not be the same person without him."

Yessinia smiled at her, "You love him don't you? I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice. You saw him the same way I did." Christine pursed her lips and nodded slightly. Yessinia turned to Father Rapier, "I want to see him. I need to know that he's okay." Father Rapier shifted his gaze uneasily to Christine. Yessinia asked in concern, "Is he all right? Is he safe?"

"We don't know where he is," Father Rapier admitted. "He left the opera house months over a year ago. I have not been able to find him."

"Opera house?" Yessinia asked in disbelief. "He is a singer then?" She brightened and then turned to Christine, "He always loved music, even as a child." They sat in silence until Yessinia asked, "But the Opera Populaire has been condemned for over five years. Burned down by the 'Opera Ghost,' the rumors say." When she saw Father Rapier and Christine look uneasily at each other again, she knew, "Erik is the 'Opera Ghost' isn't he?" After Christine nodded, Yessinia slumped in her chair. "I knew he was capable to do great things. But I suppose I should feel grateful knowing that he is alive."

Father Rapier looked at his clock, "Good heavens! We can continue this in the morning. I can supply you with quarters, Nia, if you would prefer to stay here."

Christine immediately piped up, "She can stay in our chambers; we have two extra beds."

Yessinia started to protest, "No, I should really - "

Christine interrupted, "I insist. You should rest here." She got up to help Yessinia up. Mama Nia graciously accepted her arm.

Yessinia asked Christine on their way to their room, "So you are married?" Christine nodded. "But not to my Erik?" Christine shook her head. "Is Erik married?" Christine shook her head once again. Nia only nodded. "It's probably for the best."

Genevieve stood up immediately as the door opened, "Oh Countess! I was so worried!" She ushered the two ladies into the room. "When the sun came up and no sight of you, I started to think the worst."

"We are fine," Christine said yawning. She looked to Yessinia who was sitting on a bed taking off her boots. "This is my handmaiden, Genevieve. Genevieve, this is Mama Nia."

Yessinia was about to lie down when she saw Stephan sleeping peacefully. She asked Christine, "Is he yours?" Christine smiled and nodded. Mama Nia went to his side to look over him. "He is beautiful," she purred. A funny look took over her face.

Christine asked alarmingly, "Is he okay?"

"Yes," Yessinia said slowly. She looked up to Christine and Genevieve, "If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn this was Erik. He looks exactly like him."