Author's note: My use of "Landry" as Erik's last name comes from my own Cajun French heritage…Landry is a very common name in southeast Louisiana, and my own ancestors started their journey in Alsace Lorain, France. "Thibodeaux" is also a common surname. Look up some "Boudreaux and Thibodeaux" jokes on the internet sometime if you want a laugh! They are most amusing when done in an authentic Cajun accent, which I do NOT have, though I do say "ya'll" a lot!

"Welcome, Monsieur Landry!" the gray-haired man greeted them at the door to the small house, which had an tidy green lawn and pocket-sized flower garden in front. "We have been expecting you, and all is prepared." Christine was a little startled at the use of Erik's last name….it hadn't even occurred to her that he had one!

"Thank you, Henri. Allow me to introduce Mademoiselle Christine Daae, a student and friend who will be visiting me for a time. I believe you indicated that I could use the small cottage for guests?" he inquired politely.

The old man answered, hardly taking a breath between sentences, "Oui, monsieur, and it has also been made ready. Welcome, mademoiselle, I am Henri Thibodeaux, and I hope your stay with us will be a pleasant one. I will send my wife, Jeanne, to see if there is anything you need. Here is the key to your house, monsieur, and I am pleased to have you as my tenant. Is there anything I can do for you now? No? Then I bid you good afternoon, and will send Jeanne over shortly to see to the young mademoiselle." And with a tip of his hat he set off across the field to the larger house that was his own family's residence, limping slightly and leaning on a cane.

"He is such a quaint and polite old dear," Christine laughed. "I hope you haven't shocked him too badly, bringing me here unexpectedly."

"I think that Henri & Jeanne have seen their share of life and do not shock easily," he replied, smiling. He did that a lot today, and she just adored the crinkles it caused around his eyes. Well, as much as she could see of them….she would have to do something about that mask! As if he was reading her thoughts, he added, "They seem to have little curiosity, and pretend not to even notice this" and he gestured to his face in an offhand manner.

They settled their bags, plump gray-haired Jeanne arriving breathlessly to ask if Christine needed help, and informing them that Henri would bring them supper on this first evening, to allow them time to get established. They probably wouldn't have many visits from the older couple, who didn't look in the habit of taking long walks across their field! The only other building nearby was the barn, which housed a few milk cows. That meant precious privacy for Erik, who was used to his solitude, and he mentioned that he had chosen this house for that reason.

"It also means we can be alone without fear of interruptions, my dear," he began, "for talking or….." and he stopped short, realizing he could not say what he was thinking, which was "for intimacy." What would she think of him, if he physically pursued her so quickly! He would have to be more than careful in that area….he wanted her love, not just a physical attraction, and she was so inexperienced. He had observed her with Raoul on numerous occasions, and was fairly sure that there had been no lack of decorum there….the boy was dispassionate, and Erik felt sure Christine was untouched.

Christine heard his pause, and intuitively knew what direction his thoughts had taken, since hers had followed a similar route. She hadn't forgotten their passionate song together, or the way his hands felt on her skin, and was keen to feel the heat between them again, though Madame Giry had warned her not to play with fire. She was sure Erik desired her, though she had little knowledge about physical love between a man and woman….she just knew that it felt marvelous when he touched her, and wondered what new delights lay ahead. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with this man, and hoped he felt the same way.

There was a small brook behind the vine-covered cottage, and they walked out to inspect it. Christine was charmed….she had not been in the country for years, and the air felt so fresh and clean after Paris. She picked wildflowers to fill a vase she had seen on a side table, and chatted happily about everything and nothing. He listened, and delighted in her cheerful company, thinking that years of just this would be more than heaven to experience. She was simply captivated by the cows in the nearby field, having never seen a barn animal up close before, and he had to laugh aloud at her expressions. What joy, to have this beautiful young woman all to himself this way!

Christine was not unaware of the effect her silliness had on Erik, and continued it on purpose just to amuse him…his laughter was such a novelty, and she knew it would do him good. She had associated him with darkness and candles and music, and the new Erik, outside in the dappled sunlight, was even more wonderful than her Angel had been. He had sung to her of "the music of the night" but seemed more than willing now to share the delights of the daytime with her, which pleased her to no end.

Back inside, they sat at the small kitchen table for the simple but excellent supper brought over by Henri, and exchanged more small talk as they ate, and as they cleared the dishes afterwards. As they walked back into the cozy living room, she inquired, "May I stay with you and talk this evening, Erik, or would you prefer some time alone?" She wanted to be with him, but didn't want to force her presence on him.

"My sweet, I have waited for years to have you to myself, do you really think I would prefer my own company to yours now?" he smiled. He sat on the sofa which faced the stone fireplace in which they had built a small blaze, and patted the seat next to him invitingly. It had been easy to relax with her, but now he was starting to feel the tension of things unsaid, and was not sure how to proceed, so he took the easy way out, and said nothing.

Christine understood his reticence, and was herself almost too tired to think….it had been a demanding two days. She knew she had a letter to write to Raoul, the sooner the better, so she sat quietly musing over the best way to break with him. Erik had put his head back on the sofa and appeared to be dozing, so she moved closer and put her head on his shoulder, prepared to do the same. That woke him abruptly, and she said, "Shhh…., reaching up to stroke the side of his face to soothe him again. He caught her hand reflexively and pushed it away, saying "No!" in an angry voice

She was shocked, even when she realized what had disturbed him. "Oh, Erik, I wasn't going to touch the mask, I promised you I wouldn't!" That was the last straw for the tired girl, keyed up as she was after all the emotional upheavals of the last couple of days, and she started to cry.

"Oh, goodness, Christine, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, thinking "Erik, you idiot!" to himself. Sweetheart, I didn't mean it, I was asleep and I just reacted without thinking! Please don't cry." He pulled her onto his lap, alarmed as her sobs continued. "My love, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He rocked her like a baby. "My poor little girl, don't cry, shhh, it's all right, I'm sorry." He repeated it over and over until the tears ended.

"Christine? Christine, please look at me." She finally raised her head, ashamed of her outburst, looked him in the eyes, and he went on, "Please tell me you understand, I wasn't really angry at you, it was just a foolish reaction."

"I know," she sniffled, and I'm sorry, I overreacted, too. I think the past couple of days just caught up with me. She put her arms around his neck and hugged him, then asked "Is your mask always going to come between us? Can't you trust me not to pull it off again? Better yet, can't you take it off entirely when we are alone, and believe that I accept you as you are?" she implored.

He looked away, and shook his head. He never wore the mask when he was alone, and found it uncomfortable after having it on most of the day, but to deliberately remove it in front of her…..he didn't know if he was ready for that step. True, she had seen him unmasked again last night, and said it didn't matter to her…."Christine, does my face really not frighten you? Those who have seen my face in the past have drawn back in fear….why don't you?"

"Because I see beyond the mask, beyond the scars, to the man inside" she said earnestly. "Should I have been afraid this morning when I wiped your tears? I know it's hard to make yourself vulnerable, but we have to get past this somehow. I'm vulnerable to you, too, Erik, in case you haven't realized it."

He was surprised at her statement, and asked, "How are you vulnerable?" She gave a short laugh. "I just left my home and my position to stay at a strange house with a man I used to think was an angel sent by my dead father, who I find out has killed in the recent past, and I left without a word to my fiancé….isn't that significant? You could do whatever you liked to me now, and no one would even know. And you can break my heart…." She drifted off, not sure she should have voiced that just yet. After all, he had not actually declared his love for her in so many words, though she had treasured each endearment he used, and knew he was probably just biding his time. She didn't want to rush him.

He was humbled by her revelation. "You're right, I hadn't realized what a situation I had put you in, and I apologize. But what do you mean about my breaking your heart? Surely you know by now, my love, that my heart is in your keeping, and that you could slay me with a harsh word? And I would never do anything to deliberately hurt you, Christine."

She was still sitting in his lap, and buried her face in his shoulder, thrilling at his words. He loved her? He said "my love" and that she had his heart...but he hadn't yet said those three important words she wanted to hear. Well, they had time.

After a few silent moments, she looked up at him again and said, "Please take your mask off and be comfortable, please trust me enough to do that. I will not hurt you, either."

He set her on her feet and walked into the next room, blowing out all of the candles so that only the glow from the fireplace illuminated the house. She followed, and he beckoned her to sit beside him again on the sofa. He bowed his head, and thought, "I knew this day would come if ever I was fortunate enough to have her with me. I have to do this, I have to trust her. She cared about me last night when my face was naked; she will still care about me now if I take the mask off. If not, it is better to find out now than to go on believing she cares and get hurt later."

He lifted his head, looked in her eyes, and asked, "Are you sure? I don't think I can handle it if you reject me now because of this." It broke her heart to see the defenseless tears standing in his eyes again. "Erik, my angel, you can trust me. I will absolutely not reject you, or turn from you." She had a sudden inspiration, "The lights are low, why don't you take it off and we will sit here next to each other, and I will not look at you until you are at ease with the idea. It doesn't have to be tonight, either. Just get used to be with me without the mask for now, that will be a start, all right?"

"I will try it, since it means so much to you." She sat back, close to his side, and hugged his left arm, looking forward into the low flickering glow of the fireplace. He slowly raised his right arm, and removed the mask from the right side of his face, setting it down on the side table carefully, with as little movement as possible. She could feel his entire body taut with tension, so she just sat quietly, allowing him the time he needed to get used to her being there and curbing her impulse to stroke the nearer side of his face. Together, they watched the flames dance and sparkle.

"Thank you, my dear," he said after a time, very quietly. "This is helping me to relax with you, and means a great deal to me. You are being very understanding, and I appreciate it. " He meant it, too….the tension was draining from his body as he realized he was there with his face exposed and nothing dreadful was happening. No one had ever accepted him this way before!

Christine answered, appreciative, "I will do whatever you need me to do to help you trust me. I want very much to touch you right now, but I don't want to alarm you again. I think because I've had so little physical affection from anyone since my father died that I am hungry for it….do you mind?" she asked, remaining as she was against him arm.

"Mind, my dear? On the contrary, I have never experienced affection from anyone, and your hugs and touches have been a revelation to me!" He turned his head toward her, and she knew if she looked she could see both sides of his face, but she kept still, not knowing if he was ready. "I want to touch you, also, Christine, but we must go slowly, and use restraint….I am a grown man, and the fires you awaken may not be easily ignored. Do you understand me?"

"I think so. You're telling me not to tempt you too far physically, not unless I am willing to finish what I start," she said, blushing again. "Madame Giry said something of that to me before we left, and that I must be careful when we are alone. She mentioned our duet, and that the passion we showed on stage seemed more reality than an act to her." She fell silent, unused to talking of such matters with anyone.

"And was it real?" he couldn't resist asking, just the memory making his pulse race again. The girl hesitated, then admitted, "Yes, it was real for me in many ways. When I sang that I had "decided", I was making my decision for you and against Raoul. And the passion….." she paused again.

"Go on, please," he said, almost urgently.

"I'd never felt such desire before, and when you touched me like that, I felt like a woman for the first time in my life!" she admitted, slightly breathlessly. Erik's breath came more quickly….she had felt the flames, too! Oh, God above, this was the stuff his dreams were made of!

"Erik," she dared hesitantly, now that the subject was open, "did you write those words for us to sing to each other, or was it just an opera to you? Please, tell me….did you mean what you were singing, too?" She turned to look at him finally, and was gratified that he did not turn away….he seemed to have forgotten that his face was naked in the thrill of discussing their duet.

"My darling, I wrote exactly what I wanted to say to you, to Christine, not Aminta, and indulged myself in writing your answers the way I wanted to hear them. Was I wrong to toy with your emotions that way? I fully expected to leave your life forever afterwards, and was giving myself one last 'triumph' of sorts before I did. I knew that fire would burn me, but I never expected it to affect you! Tell me again that you felt it also, Christine, tell me that I moved you!"

He sounded like her Master again, enspelling her that night in the boat as he commanded "Sing for me!" and she knew no response but obedience to that voice, her pulse quickening in response to his excitement. "Oh yes, my Angel, I have completely succumbed to you!"

Erik groaned, and leaned over to kiss her ardently. "Oh, my Christine!" he murmured against her lips. "My angel, my beautiful girl," in between kisses, which she responded eagerly to. He kissed her face and hair, then crushed her to him in a strong hug, allowing their pulses to return somewhat to normal. He had just talked of control, he reminded himself, was he going to lose it so easily?

"Christine, I think for the sake of my control I had better escort you to your cottage and say goodnight." At her protest, he went on, "After the ups and downs of the past few days, I find I have little restraint left, and I do not want to dishonor you. You are a beautiful and desirable woman, and at the moment my defenses are nonexistent….and I suspect yours are the same. I think after a good night's sleep, we can do things in proper order…we still have much to discuss and decide on, but we have time for all of that, also."

She looked as if she might pout, so he continued, "Lady, if I kiss you again tonight I will not be responsible for my actions, do you understand?" He was serious, so she had to acquiesce to his request.

He stood, and was reaching for the candelabra, knowing he must escort her home, when she said, "Erik, do you realize, you have forgotten all about your mask?" He started to put his hand over his face, and then realized how foolish that seemed now. He faced her. "Yes, you have allowed me to forget." He steeled himself to see the horror or disgust or pity on her face as he faced her.

Christine's face didn't change, except to smile in victory. She took the few steps between them; leaned up to kiss his mouth briefly, and looked in his eyes as she said sweetly, "I'm proud of you." He hugged her again, in amazement this time. "You never cease to astonish me!" Holding her at arms length so that she could see him again, he asked, not with so much dread this time, "So, you are not disgusted by what you see?"

"No, love, I'm not. I see a handsome man who looks as if he had an accident which did harm to one side of his face, but is otherwise perfect. Do you know what beautiful eyes you have?" She leaned in to kiss both cheeks, and the lids of both eyes, which had again filled with tears, to Erik's embarrassment.

"I never thought to hear anyone use the word 'handsome' or 'beautiful' in referring to any part of me," he said in a shaky voice. "You lie convincingly, but I thank you for it!"

"Erik, I don't lie! If the skin on your right cheek was as even as on your left, you would be considered an extremely handsome man….did you never uncover any of those mirrors to see even that! She was indignant now. "You are a fine figure of a man, my friend, even though I suppose that as a 'good girl' I shouldn't say such things!"

"Probably not," he laughed, "but I'm glad you did!" His mood lightened as his dread disappeared…she really was reacting better than he could have dreamed, and had boosted his ego tremendously.

He escorted her down the path behind the house to the cottage where she would stay, and left her with only a long hug and a short kiss, and a promise to come and get her in the morning for breakfast.