AN: I've been procrastinating (sp?).The spacing and the entering is all messed up, I can't get used to this. I'm kind of slow right now, so just read and try to forget that there's about a page space between each sentence. -nervous giggle-

You were once my one companion,
You were all that mattered.

"Dead?" My brain refused to process this peice of powerful information. "That makes no sense, he's right here--" I tried to feel for him, but what used to make me feel so heavy and big was now completely empty.

"You bled it out." The doctor told me as I tried to breath. The hallway felt very small now. I was ready to cry. Sadly, it wasn't for the child, it was for Raoul. I went outside and found him. He was standing outside with his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry," I said softly as he winced. He turned to me slowly as I approached him and noticed tears streaming from his face. I cursed myself because I felt nothing. My mind was blank and my body was numb.

"'Philippe' was a horrible choice," he said, "Philippe died! They both died."

"I'm so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault, Christine. There are demons about. Demons who didn't like this child and wanted it to die. We shall try again soon…" His words drifted off as he exhaled and looked somewhere over my shoulder. To somewhere distant. "But--I…I'll see you tomorrow." He kissed my cheek and turned.

"Wait! Where are you--" he had hopped onto the carriage and driven away, "--going?"
Raoul had gotten one thing right. There were demons who didn't want this baby. I was one of these demons and I knew one other.

I still hadn't completely understood what was going on. Raoul had left me alone, my unborn child would remain unborn forever and Erik and I had killed it. Only we hadn't. Was I going insane? Was my mind incapable of believe that Erik couldn't even be near me? I felt my world crash beneath me. The only problem was that I wasn't even in my world anymore. My mind had created a world of my own. Away from my angel, yet so near it. I was comforted and scolded by the only man that I had loved and loathed. My angel of darkness. My Angel of Music.

I felt myself waking into town without ever completely comprehending where I was or where I was going. I saw people. The local baker who opened early resembled Erik. It was frightening but I was numb to every feeling. The driver of a carriage looked like my Angel. Even the woman crossing the road with her hood on could have passed for the unearthly Opera Ghost. He was everywhere, but, as always, he was nowhere at all. My Erik was my contradiction. He was my dark escape to illuminated life. He was my Angel in Hell. He was mine but he never belonged to me. The contradiction.

Why was I even thinking of him?

And Raoul is upset now. Why was I so horrible? Why AM I so horrible? Erik is my song and passion, Raoul is my first love. Erik created what I am now, Raoul was there for me when I needed. Erik loved me all my life, Raoul…saved my scarf.
I sighed and it echoed. Now my mind began to register where exactly I was. I gasped. What a horrible place, yet my mind seemed to be abandoning me. My legs were already my deception for bringing me here. There was no part of my body that protested being here. Then why was I worried? As obvious as it is where I am, it is still unbelievable. Le Opera Populaire, the Opera House where I grew up, his Opera House, my home. But I wasn't in my dressing room. Oddly enough, I was on the stage, but it was five o'clock and completely empty. I was standing in the middle of the stage looking around, the only sound was my gasping breath. Well, it was the only sound.

"Back so soon?" A booming voice whispered. I felt my body tremble beneath me as I exhaled. I was upset at him. Yet…upset…for…something. Oh, Erik.
"I--It's…"
To that moment when words run dry. To that moment when speech disappeared into silence…
Silence…
My mind came back, only to insert pictures that would have Raoul's heart fail and Erik smile with approval. Bodies. Heat. Erik. Music. STOP! I felt him everywhere yet…he wasn't anywhere.
"Where are you?"
"You know where I am," he said as I felt him all over me. Everywhere. Inside me. Outside of me. Around me. Everywhere.

I was panting.

There was nothing.

"Erik…" I stepped forward and looked around for him desperately. Then the area where I had been standing fell open. A trapdoor.

He wasn't pushing me away. He had opened the door for me. I looked down and began to climb down the ladder. Before my foot reached the floor and arm wrapped around my waist and a hand over my mouth to provoke me from screaming. Screaming was the last thing I intended to do. Well… depending on the occasion. His arms were tight around my waist.
This was Erik, a man that would be gentle yet harsh. He let go of my mouth as his hand lowered and took my hand to help me down. He looked down to where his hand was wrapped around then he slowly let go and with a painful expression looked away and down the hall. It was dark, but I could feel his mood and feelings. I felt comfortable with him. When he began to sing, I began to believe that any hope of returning to Raoul had been smashed completely. He led me down cold, dark halls but I couldn't pay attention. My eyes were half closed and my body was tingling. His voice controlled me. His presence compelled me.

"…Our strange duet, my power over you grows stronger yet…" My breathing was uncontrollable and we sang until our echoes hit us repeatedly, as if I needed any more of him. We were on the boat soon.
"And in this labyrinth where night is blind…" The Phantom of the Opera is here inside my mind. And everywhere else.

We were at his home soon. The throne of music. After I got out of the boat, and tried to catch my very inconstant breath, Erik watched me. His gaze was peircing but caressing. I loved it. He said nothing, so I said nothing. His expression was confusing specifically because he looked sad, happy, confused, clear, angry and calm at the same time. He blinked, went to his room, and came back empty handed. He was very close to me now. One hand wrapped around my waist and another pulled my head forward as he placed a kiss on my forehead. He pulled away after with a smile of happiness. My hands were around his neck as I studied his features and he studied my eyes. He mask was, of course, white. It covered half of his face which I had only seen once. I had imagined his face to be so horrible but I began to believe that it was only my imagination. Was it that horrible? I wouldn't pull his mask off again. I had stopped pulling his mask off out of nowhere. His other side of his face was perfect. Angelic. Beautiful. He was, as I had said before, the ultimate contradiction. Half his face was beautiful as his other side was horrible.

I decided to do something I had been dreaming about for a year. With very high hopes, I stood on my tip toes, pulled his head down a little lower, and placed my lips on his. He didn't kiss back. It seemed he had frozen and was just standing there. This disappointed me but I was glad that he didn't push me away. I kept my gentle kiss in continuation for a few seconds then pulled away. When I did I saw he had tears in his eyes. I had managed to make two men cry in one night. He pulled away slowly and stared at me as I dropped my hands in disappointment.
"How long do you intend to stay?" He asked with his eyes all over me.
"How long can I stay?" I sensed a hint of a smile. I hadn't seen Erik smile in a long time. As a matter of fact, I hadn't seen Erik in a long time. He was thinner than before. And he looked like he had died when I left but was still here, an actual ghost. Yet he was here, flesh and blood, in front of me.
"It's a bit late," he said, held my hand and led me to the bedroom. "You will sleep here." I stared at him and studied him.
"Where are you sleeping?"
"I will be working on my music." I knew he wouldn't sleep when he worked on his music. He wouldn't sleep, eat, drink, or live when he worked on his music.
"When was the last time you slept?" I had to ask.
"A year ago," he said sadly, kissed my forehead and left.

AN: Hi.

I don't think there's much to say, but I might be wrong. I GOT THE EXTENDED VERSION OF THE PHANTOM CD!! I'm flipping out right now because I can actually listen Gerard Butler sing "Stranger than you dreamt it" in my head...with the help of a walkman...but still. YAY! You don't care. Okay.

About the story, do you like the way things are going? I had a brain seizure thinking about the ending of this story. I have up to like...39582948690284 chapters in my notebook (Not really, I have around twelve). But Christine's with Erik now, YAY!

Love it? Hate it? Love Erik? Hate Raoul? Review!
--TheAngelOfMusicSingsSongsInMyHead

Next chapter gets better because of MORE ERIK!!! -dances- -falls- -nervous giggle #2- Review!