I'm so so sorry this took so long. I haven't been able to put up any new documents! This chapteris kind of a cliff hanger too, so don't hate me. Oh and don't freak out until the next chapter! Thanks for reading! Please review..XOXO

Chapter 25

Erik sat in front of the warm fire in Nadir's small but quaint living room. He was staring down and brushing his gloved finger across the brilliant emerald ring in his hand that had only remained on Meg's tiny finger for one night. He was already regretting several decisions he had made that morning and she had only been gone for a matter of hours.

He had woken her from a deep sleep, and brought her through the tunnels of the opera to an opening that led out to an empty alley on the side of the building. After all, she could not very well just show up in her room after being missing for days by way of the mirror. Besides, he was not sure he wanted to reveal the two way mirror to Meg just yet. He thought that perhaps it would be useful to him in the future.

As they journeyed back up to surface, Erik had explicitly described to her exactly how to get back, and he tried to make sure she had repeated back to him every turn. Despite this, he knew he would still probably be waiting nervously at the entrance for her later in the evening.

When she started to leave him, several tears had wet her lush dark lashes. She kissed him softly, and he had been secretly terrified that it would be their last.

"I cannot bear to leave you," she had said.

Why the hell did he let her, he questioned himself.

Before she walked away into the early daylight, Erik's more logical side had explained to her that it was probably best if she did not wear the ring he had given her just yet. As it would be just one more detail for her to explain without giving away her true whereabouts. It was not the kind of jewel that people could overlook. When Meg slipped it off her finger and placed it in his hand, Erik felt as though at least ten years were instantly removed from his life.

She had told him she loved him and then turned and walked away. He watched her blond hair waving back and forth until she had completely disappeared from his sight. The pain in his heart was excruciating, and he was aware that this day would be the longest in all his life. He had every intention of lurking about the rafters all day and catching a glimpse of Meg whenever he could, but he was stopped before he could even begin to go back into the opera.

He knew instantly that the footsteps he heard behind him were those of Nadir, and turned to find the flustered Persian man running towards him.

"Erik! Erik! Are you mad? What are you doing out in the street?" he had said in a winded yet accusing tone.

"Calm down Nadir. You act as if I were out parading up and down right in front of the opera house. I was just taking Meg back, thanks to you, and now I am going back to spend what may be the most disturbing day of my life," he bitterly replied.

"You truly have a flare for the dramatic, don't you my friend," Nadir had told him sarcastically. "Erik, I think it is best if you come with me to my home just for the day. It still could be unsafe for you here, and spying on Meg all day will just put you in more danger."

"I have no intention of leaving, Nadir," Erik had said with conviction. "I must be here to watch over Meg."

"Erik, the worst thing that could happen for you and Meg would be for you to hear the Marquis professing his love to her and then come swooping out of the shadows to kill him. If you love Meg and you do not want to destroy what you have, you must understand that your temper cannot be trusted," Nadir had told him bluntly.

He and Erik argued for several more minutes until Nadir had finally been able to convince him that staying would put Meg in harms way. Reluctantly, Erik had given in, unable to be responsible for anything happening to her. Also, because he thought that perhaps having some company would make the hours until she returned pass more quickly.

They had ridden in Nadir's carriage on back roads all the way to his small cottage on the outskirts of town. As they road Nadir talked incessantly, but Erik had not heard a word that he said. His mind was flooded with images of Meg from the night before.

He could picture perfectly her flushed face in the candlelight, as he made her cry out with pleasure. He could almost feel her smooth moist skin on his hand, as her body quivered from his touch. He adored the knowledge that every inch of her was his. Never had he felt so much power over anyone. How he loved knowing that he could make her lose all control of herself. He had felt so confident at that moment that she would return to him, but now once again fear and doubt had captured his mind.

He was always extremelymeticulous about being impeccably groomed and dressed. However, this morning for the first time that he could remember, he chose not to bathe. When he had gone to wash, he could still faintly smell Meg's skin on his own. He simply could not stand to wash her scent from his body.

As Erik continued to relive the events of the night prior and the morning, Nadir walked into the living room carrying a trey of tea.

"You must stop obsessing, my old masked friend," Nadir said as he watched Erik gazing at the magnificent ring in his hand. "She will be back this evening and all your worrying will have been in vain. Really Erik, she will be your wife in a day's time, and not because you are forcing her to marry you. Will you have trust in her then?"

"Nadir, if you recall, the last time I chose to put my trust in a woman things did not happen as I had expected, so you will excuse me if I am the slightest bit wary of my current situation," Erik said flatly.

"How long will you force Marguerite to pay for the betrayal of another?" Nadir asked with a hint of irritation. "She is not Christine, Erik. She is not in love with another man, and she does not think you are some supernatural being. You are the man she loves and the man she wants to marry. Do not ruin what you have by living in fear of ghosts from the past," he said as he poured Erik a cup of tea.

"Don't you think I realize that Nadir? I know she is not Christine! For God's sake, she's nothing like her! Meg is stubborn where she was timid; she is fearless where Christine was terrified. She is filled with passionate fire, where Christine was empty and hollow," Erik said heatedly as he stood up and began to pace the length of the room.

"And thus, you cannot understand why she could love you when Christine did not," Nadir stated finishing the thought that Erik had no intention of voicing.

"Yes," Erik admitted turning to face him.

"But yet, somehow you know she does," he continued.

"Yes," he repeated with a deep sigh.

"Erik, instead of spending this day in dire fear, let us finalize the plans for your wedding tomorrow night. I think it will be much more productive than pacing the floor, and then when it gets dark I will bring you back to the opera and your fiancé," Nadir said with a slight grin.

She is my fiancé, Erik thought, secretly thrilled.

"I must agree with you again, Nadir. I will attempt to clear my head and focus on something useful," Erik said attempting to put the demons in his thoughts to sleep for the moment.

Hours later and well after six in the evening, Erik had just arrived back at the same entrance to the opera catacombs where he had told Meg good-bye that morning. He stepped just inside and decided to wait for her to return. She should be finishing dinner momentarily and then most of the ballet rats would go their separate ways to their rooms to gossip or to meet suitors. She should have no problem stealing away.

After about an hour of pacing nearly exhausted from anticipation, Erik had a suddenly disturbing thought.

What if she has already come this way and she is waiting for me in mychambers?

Erik quickly dashed through the dark corridors with a small torch hoping that when he reached his lair; he would find Meg there waiting for him. Unfortunately, minutes later when he reached his destination and called out for her there was no answer. He checked all the rooms and even the chase by the organ where she had once fallen asleep, but his home was silent and empty.

He was beginning to feel foolish for allowing Nadir to calm his fears of her leaving. He had spent the better part of the day planning for a wedding that may never take place, and dreaming of a life that may never occur.

She should be here by now, he told himself.

Erik headed back through the shadows towards the entrance to the alley. He explored every dark corridor on his way that Meg could have possibly chosen on accident, but there was no sign of her. He started to feel anger stirring deep inside him, and he was sure now that she was not coming back.

When he reached the alley he looked out into the night and saw nothing but an abandoned street. His mind started reeling with what he would do, if his bride did not return to him. Erik found himself strangely comforted by the idea that he could slip into her dressing room and force her to come back with him if that was necessary. She clearly had not told anyone about him, or his home would already have been ransacked by the Marquis' thugs.

Several more hours had passed when Meg slipped though the shadows of the empty street on the side of the opera and into the hidden entrance that Erik had showed her that morning. She used to be horrified of the Paris streets after sunset, but after staying with Erik in the darkness of his home, she was no longer afraid of the night. She closed the door to the entrance behind her, and reached out for the torch that was suspended on the wall to light her way. She screamed when she felt a hand tightly grab her wrist.

"No need to be frightened, Marguerite," she heard Erik say icily. "It's only me, your fiancé, or did you forget already after your day in the world of the living?"

"Erik, I….I am so sorry it took me so long to return," she said, instantly nervous by the coldness in his voice. "I went to bed, and then I was going to sneak out, but…."

"But what, Marguerite?" he prodded angrily.

"Well… you see, Darcel, he insisted that he stay with me until I went to sleep. He was afraid that I would have nightmares from my….my ordeal. I tried to protest, but he wouldn't listen, and so I had to act asleep until he finally left my room," Meg said, and then waited for the jealous outburst that wouldfollow.

Erik pinned her up against the cold stone wall of the dimly lit corridor with great force. His green eyes were ablaze as he stared at her through his white mask. He held her hands above her head, and she was helpless against him.

"Did he touch you?" he roared mercilessly as his echo tumbled through the corridors. "Did he? Answer me!" he demanded.

"No…no Erik…of course not, he is my friend and he…he was just concerned about me. I promise," she pleaded.

"That's good… for his sake. Pray my dear that I do not find out otherwise or I swear to you that I will strangle the life out of that impish boy!" he shouted.

"Erik, why are you acting like this? Please, let me go," she begged.

"Odd… you did not ask me to let you go last night, when you were screaming my name wildly in bed, Marguerite," he said viciously.

Meg's cheeks blushed a deep crimson, and she suddenly felt the warmth of Erik's breath on her neck. Despite his brutish treatment,she remembered every wonderful detail of the night before. Although he still had her pinned against the wall, for some reason she was no longer felt frightened.

Erik noticed the look in Meg's eyes change from dismay to something else. He looked at her purple dress and the way it hugged her waist snuggly. A hint of cleavage rose and fell with each of her deep breaths, and Erik did not try to hide that he was taking in every inch of her voluptuous frame.

Before she had arrived he was desperate to know every detail of her day. He had planned on asking about everything she said and everything that anyone said to her in the opera. He wanted to know about the Marquis, her position as prima ballerina, and what the idiot managers had said to her. Yet now that Meg was in front of him. it seemed that all of these things could wait.

Still holding her hands above her head, Erik leaned in and kissed her hard on the lips pushing his large muscular body into hers. She quickly allowed his tongue to explore every inch of her velvety mouth. Erik could sense instantly that she wanted him, and it drove him nearly insane. He was tired of waiting, and today had nearly been the death of him. Perhaps tomorrow when Meg returned to the opera it would be with a slight soreness from him ravaging her.

Erik began to give in to his carnal urges. He layered Meg's neck with violent kisses and he grabbed her breasts with great ferocity. She could feel his hardened flesh pushing into her abdomen and his wildness for her caused her to moan with lust.

"I must have you, Marguerite," he whispered in her ear. "I can wait no longer, it must be tonight."

Meg tried to speak and think clearly through Erik's assault of her neck with his tongue, "Erik... but you said we had to be married, you said you wanted me to be pure, and…"

She could not finish her sentence because he was urgently lifting up her skirts and beginning to make his way up to the warmth between her legs. He began to attack her senses with the same motions of his finger that had sent her over the edge the night before. She again started to cry out with the amazing sensation.

"You want me to have you, don't you, Marguerite?" he said in a raspy voice while glaring straight into her eyes as he watched her squirm against his touch.

He watched with insurmountable pleasure as she jerked with every movement of his hand. How sensitive she was to him, and how ready she was for him to take her. He could tell by her moans that he was about to make her climax again, so he stopped the rhythmic motion that was driving her mad.

"Erik…. why?" she looked at him confused.

"Not yet, my love….tonight you are not going anywhere unless I go with you," he said with a smirk, as he removed his hands from beneath her skirts.

He took Meg by the hand and led her as hurriedly as he could without dragging her back to his chambers where he planned to at last know love in a way he never had before.