Put your minds at ease my lovelies, Erik does, IN NO WAY, resemble Raoul…ick! His hair is dark and wavy, framing his face; not dull and floppy like Raoul's was. I compared it earlier in the story to Gerry's look in Dracula 2000. Imagine that look with the white mask….NIIIIIIICE!

This is another one those less than exciting chapters, but it builds on Erik's character and the reflects on the thoughts of the women.

Enjoy.

THE DAWN THROUGH THE NIGHT

Book III – Getting to Know You, Chapters 11-17

CHAPTER 15

After Erik left, the women conversed about what had taken place.

"He certainly has more control over that temper of his." Brigitte observed. "There were a few times that I felt he was going to lose it, but he kept it under control."

Brigitte thought about the many times she had worked with Erik on his anger issues. He had many reasons to be angry and bitter, but she felt he needed to learn control of these feelings or he would constantly hold people at bay.

Madeline was going over the scene in her head, developing a plan of action, and deciding on the best time to confront Erik again. She had been unprepared for his reaction to her, but she had seen the desire in his eyes for acceptance. He had barely tolerated her presence, and yet he had said he did not hate her; that gave her something to build on.

Christine sat down at the table, playing with the deck of cards. "When we talked, he was very civil, he said he did not blame me for anything that happened all those years ago." She looked up to find Madeline staring at her, "I have grown up since he knew me…" she reflected on times past, "I had never really seen him until yesterday…he was always shrouded in darkness, shadows, or bad lighting…I never knew he was so handsome."

Brigitte came and rested her hand on Christine's shoulder, "He's always been handsome, even as a teenager." She smiled at her with warmth in her eyes, "I know he said that she loved him, but did Erik say he loved this Desiree?" Brigitte asked, looking at Christine.

"I am sure he did, he had a child with her," Christine could not help the sudden swell of jealousy that swept over her, "Erik does not strike me as the kind of man who would be with a woman if he did not love her."

Brigitte shook her head in agreement. She leveled her eyes on Madeline, "She's right, if appeasing his needs was all he was interested in, he could have had anyone, or taken a prostitute."

Brigitte remembered the numerous times she had heard Erik insist that the only women who would willingly touch him would be prostitutes; and then, only after he paid them. He had meant it as a joke, but the seriousness in his eyes had made her doubt that he truly thought of it as such.

He had never gone through with it, deciding that he would not subject a woman to his monsters touch. Brigitte had tried on many occasions to help him see that he was not a monster; but then all the horrible things had started happening at the opera house, and she was no longer convinced herself.

Christine did not know what she felt for Erik. He had been her angel, then her mentor and friend; then he had become a mystery, a feared criminal, and then…a cherished memory. Now, he was back in her life, still shrouded in mystery…but very much a potent, alluring man.

There was nothing preventing her from getting to know him and she was going to see to it that she did. The man had eyes that haunted her dreams and the exposed side of his face was breathtakingly handsome. Oh yes, she was definitely going to get to know him, even if he fought her every step of the way.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Erik returned home, not feeling any better than he had when he left. What was it Christine had said the day she came to apply for the job? 'We thought you were dead' and 'where have you been Erik', he should have known they'd find each other; but why did they look for him? They had all made it clear, at various stages, that they wanted nothing to do with him.

Seeing his mother had been a jolt, to say the least. He had thought she would have moved into a fancy home, be surrounded by servants, and married to some stodgy aristocrat; her looks had always been amazingly beautiful, so she could, quite easily, have any man she wanted.

But Erik remembered the same demons of sadness lurking in her eyes, as lurked in his. What would have caused her to share in his misery? He found himself needing to hear her story and know why she carried such pain in her eyes and walked with a limp.

He poured himself a glass of Scotch, though he had no real love of alcohol; he just wanted to feel the sensation of the cold, stinging, liquor as it slithered down his throat.

Christine's revealing story had given him a start; the fact that she had divorced Raoul, completely baffled him. The man had everything a woman could possibly want; looks, money, prestige, power…why would Christine leave that all behind?

She had known when she left with Raoul that it would be like that. The glamour and glitter were just a façade; nobles lived boringly structured, orderly lives. Erik had known she knew this; and yet, she had chosen that life over any association with him.

She had known that the nobility were seldom faithful to their wives; choosing, instead, to have many mistresses and carry on beneath the very roof their wives resided under. The wives were expected to be faithful, fruitful, and fetching. This was a fact…and yet…she had chosen that over him.

Erik smirked at his own thoughts; he couldn't blame her for choosing as she did, anything or anyone was better than him.

Not even finishing the glass of Scotch, Erik left the study and headed toward the stairs leading to his room. Grace would be very pleased to know that Christine would start on Monday, and he was content in the fact that she would be happy...even if he knew his sanity was going to suffer.

Nancy was puttering about, finishing up for the night when Erik surprised her by coming around the corner.

"Sir, you startled me, I had no idea you were still up." Nancy said, calming her heart.

Erik paused, giving a slight chuckle, "Please accept my apology for startling you…I don't sleep very much anyway, so I was finishing up some paperwork."

"Could I get you something Master, perhaps a glass of warm milk to ease your mind?" Nancy inquired, knowing Erik loved warm milk.

"That would be marvelous Nancy, I'll follow you." He said, as he fell in stride behind her, headed for the kitchen.

He was seated at the table, waiting for Nancy to finish, "Ms. Daae will be here on Monday, Nancy…I will need you to show her around and get her acquainted with how the house runs." He finally said.

Nancy had been wondering what had happened while he had been gone. She noticed the tired, withdrawn expression on his face, and was concerned – she had never seen him this dark and brooding.

All the darkness and gloom, which Desiree had told her about, was back; stationed in his eyes and lingering in his steps. Somehow, that wisp of a woman had chipped away at the wall around his heart and forced him to become her friend. Then, she had given him the ultimate gift…Grace.

"Everything will be fine, Master Erik…you'll see." Nancy felt compelled to say.

Erik knew she meant well, but he had no one to confide in and he had always prided himself on being fearless; but at this moment…he was terrified.

He closed his eyes and sat quietly for a minute. When he looked back at her, he had a strangely distant look on his face, "I could have sworn I felt Desiree guiding me today…her presence was so strong that I could hear her laugh and her scent lingered in the air..." his eyes misted over as a strange feeling ran up his spine, "…it was calming."

Nancy smiled at this revelation, "I, too, have often felt her eyes upon me…I don't believe she would come back from the gates of heaven, but I do believe that angels minister to us at the request of our loved ones." Nancy came over to him and placed a motherly hand on his shoulder, "I know, beyond a doubt, she loved you, Master Erik…her eyes followed you everywhere you went and she always had a smile on her face that only a woman in love has."

One single tear escaped his eye and gracefully moved down his cheek "If only she would have told me, I might have made her last few weeks on earth more enjoyable…maybe even…"

Nancy stopped his thoughts with a shake of her head, "Nothing you could have done would have changed the outcome, Master Erik; it was her time to go…but I do wish you had been given the chance to love her."

Erik stood up and placed a kiss upon Nancy's forehead. She had been his mainstay through the last several years; he could not have made it without her. He bid her goodnight and carried his milk up to his room, still deep in thought.

Could he risk allowing these women back into his life? Brigitte had once been the closest thing to family he had ever known. His mother had always been an elusive dream; a beautiful star just out of his reach, and he could not find it in himself to loath her.

As for Christine; seeing her again caused a reaction that surprised even him. She still had the power to destroy him; physically, emotionally, and mentally. He had no choice but to allow her back in his life, but he told himself, adamantly, that he would not allow her exercise any control over him.

Even as he thought it, Erik knew he would yield his heart to her if she so much as indicated she wanted it. He shook his head at his reflection in the mirror, "You're a fool Erik Destler…an ugly, old fool. She wants nothing more than your friendship, why would she want anything else?"

He felt like slamming his fist against the glass and shattering his grotesque image into a million small pieces. "Nothing…but a fool." He whispered with closed eyes.

He turned the logs in the fire and watched the embers flicker, and then he took off his robe and went to bed. Tomorrow was Sunday, so church was the main event.

He had been baptized Catholic, but Desiree had been Protestant. He felt it had only been proper to raise Grace in the faith of her mother. He had attended Protestant churches in Spain, and he had seen a rather large church just a few blocks up the street. They would attend there tomorrow morning.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When Christine and Brigitte had decided to support each other through life, Brigitte had expressed an interest in getting back involved in the church. She had gone though a time of disillusionment in the Catholic belief and had decided to start attending a Protestant church.

When Madeline had come along, she had been so long out of the church, that any time spent worshiping, was special to her…it did not matter where.

So, all three of them sat in a pew somewhere in the middle of the church, watching the people come quietly into the sanctuary. They had been attending together for a couple of years now, and there were many good friends in the sea of faces.

From the back of the aisle, came a rumbling of voices. Christine could just make out the chatter coming from a few of the young women; something about a new man in the church. She glanced over just in time to see Erik, Grace, Nancy, and Sam coming up the walkway, toward the front of the church.

Erik's eyes met with hers for only a brief moment, but it was long enough to see the trepidation in his eyes; he hated crowds, and even more than that, he hated crowds full of strangers.

She turned to Madeline and Brigitte, who had already noticed him. They got up and walked over to him. They sat down in the pew behind them, and watched as he settled into the pew with Grace.

Grace mesmerized Madeline and Brigitte; the child was perfect. Her raven curls and green eyes were so much like Erik's, but her mouth, nose and high cheekbones must have come from Desiree. She was a beautiful little girl.

Grace noticed Christine, and was anxious to speak with her; but she sat dutifully with her father, looking back every now and then to make sure she had gone nowhere.

Erik's voice resonated through the building, lifting the songs to heaven as no one had ever heard before. Christine was aware of many female eyes falling adoringly on Erik's very appealing form.

He was dressed in a dove grey suit with a waist length, double-breasted coat, a mauve cravat; crisp, white shirt, and a dove grey tie. He looked impressive, to say the least. His raven hair was slicked back, much like it was in the opera house, but it hung gloriously down his neck in the back; wavy and full.

To match his suit, he had adorned the right side of his face in a grey mask; and everyone was awed by the results. Many of them had heard of Erik Destler, and his fame as an architect; they heard he was tragically scarred in childhood and was a genius in many fields.

Not many in Paris even cared that he had been the Phantom of the Opera eight years before; he was a respectable member of society, and deserved their esteem.

Half way through the sermon, Grace nuzzled up to Erik and whispered in his ear. He smiled down at her and lifted her onto his lap, holding her close through the rest of the service.

Erik was very much aware of the three women behind him, how could he not be. They had rocked his world and they had the power to destroy it. He played the part of a socialite, but he was seething on the inside.

They all wrecked havoc with his heart, and all for very different reasons. He breathed in the sweet scent of Grace's hair, and knew why he was putting himself through the misery…it was for her.

He lifted a silent prayer toward heaven, praying that none of them would feel the need to humiliate him again; the last time had almost killed him. Of course, he was the fool, for allowing himself to care enough to be humiliated in the first place.

When the service ended, Erik held a sleeping Grace in his arms as he fought the urge to flee the premises quickly; but he turned, tipped his head in greeting, and left without saying a word.

TBC