Thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming!

Up the stairs took them to the first door, which the woman unlocked and opened. "This is the first room. Second is this way." she said, then led them all the way down the long hallway, until reaching the last door, which that too she unlocked.
"Would you be liking any food this evening?" The woman asked before leaving.
"Yes please." Christine replied.
"We'll be eating in here." Erik added, then led Christine hurriedly into the room. Once in, he shut the door and locked it again. As he was breathing hard from relief, Christine was too, holding her stomach.
"Did I hurt you? Forgive me, I did not know." Erik said, his eyes lowered.
"No, no, I'm fine. Hungry, but fine." Christine said with a sweet smile. Erik looked relieved as he put his cane near the door and walked over to the table that was in the middle of the room. He sat so that his mask was away from the door, and kept the lights low just in case.
Within a few minutes, the door opened, and Christine rushed to get the food. She thanked the woman, then gently kicked the door closed as she carried a large silver tray to the table.
To Christine's hungry eyes, what she held looked like a royal feast, when, in reality, it was nothing more than slug-looking stew, bread and butter, and a few slabs of salted pork for each. A small bottle of cheap wine accompanied this.
Erik poured out the wine into wineglasses as Christine handed him his soup and platter. They ate in silence for a few minutes, just staring at each other. There was little to say, it seemed, now that they had gotten so much off of their minds. But finally, Erik found something to small talk over.
"Downstairs seemed a success - no one noticed. I suppose I'm lucky I have someone with such a full head of hair to ride with me. Although, you realize, this is how it will have to be for possibly the rest of our lives. I don't blend in very easily, you could say."
Christine gave him a weak grin. "Well, I suppose it's good then, that I'll be with you for the rest of my life." She said, pulling her hair back over her shoulders.
Erik looked up at her, clearly surprised. Was he still so not used to such talk? Talk of commitment; loyalty; love?
"When shall we leave tomorrow?" Christine asked, hoping for conversation he would not shy away from.
"Early, at dawn."
"Will we be able to buy more food?"
"With luck we shall. If it's not busy downstairs."
"If it is?"
"We'll find somewhere else."
Christine looked away, biting her lip, her fingers playing in a lock of her hair. Timidly, she looked into his eyes and said, "Erik...where are we going?"
He bowed his head and put more food into his mouth, as if he didn't hear her. Something had told her he'd do that - she had overstepped her boundaries. Some things just needed their own time to be asked; others need to be told, not questioned. What she just said was of the latter - if Erik ever decided to tell her.

Christine was startled awake by knocking. Looking out her window, she saw the sky a misty grey, not yet dawn. Sleepily, yawning and rubbing her eyes, she managed to drag herself to the door and open it slightly to reveal Erik standing there, his hand over his mask.
"Get ready to leave. I'll come back in a few minutes so we can get started. We'll eat along the way."
True to his word, Erik was knocking only a few minutes later. Christine only had time to quickly brush out her mass of curls and try to wash some of the dirt spots on her dress. Grabbing her boots and shoving her feet in them, she hobbled to the door.
"I'm ready." Christine said, tying up the last boot.
"Good, because it's going to start getting busy now. Come along." Erik said, putting her in front of him as they walked slowly and carefully down the stairs. It was crowded in the little room, so they kept going.
"Where will we get food now?" Christine asked him once they were on their horse and riding away.
"We have left overs from last night, and breakfast was served early this morning. I brought it with, do not worry. I wont let you starve, Christine - even if it means I must."
She was quiet for a few minutes, but then started back up. "Where are we headed?'
" Another small town is not very far from here. My hopes are to make it there by nightfall."
"Where will we go after that?"
"To more small towns to refill our food supply until we reach our destination."
"And what is our destination, Erik?"
But still he refused to say. Biting her lip, Christine refrained from saying more.

They sat by a stream, surrounded by high grass and beautiful country. Erik had taken out an apple for each of them, as well as the left over salted pork that he had packaged so it would stay fresh while in the leather pouches. Christine stared over at the horse, peacefully grazing, not aware of any danger that may have been following. So far, the pair had been extremely lucky - not even a sight of any officers. Christine could only pray that their luck would hold out long enough to get...well, to where ever they were going.
Her gaze moved from the horse and settled on Erik. He was lost in thought as he slowly ate his apple, staring into the stream as it shimmered in the noon sun. Desperate to strike up a conversation and to learn more about him, Christine said, "Madame Giry once told me that she brought you to the Opera House when you were only twelve. Said you lived there ever since. Is that true?"
Erik didn't look at her, but took a deep breath, seeming as if he was silently cursing the old woman.
"It is." He replied simply.
"Well...what about before that? Where did you come from? How did she find you? How did you live?" Christine asked, encouraged now that he had answered a question. But these words fell on deaf ears. He kept looking into the river, eating his apple more quickly now, acting as if he hadn't heard her. Well, it wasn't the first time he had done that.
As soon as he finished, he threw the core of the fruit as far as he could, then went to ready the horse.
"Hurry and finish - we have a long way to go if we are to reach that town by tonight." He said over his shoulder.
Christine sat, slowly picking at his food. When would he open up to her? Had she not shown that he could trust her enough? When could he find that he could confide in her? For his sake as well as hers, she hoped it would be soon.