A/N: Thank you so much to my reviewers, I love you guys! Here's the thing... I know that sometimes words in this story get meshed together... I don't know how that happens. I read over each chapter atleast three times, and when it shows up on Fanfiction, sometimes, they just get meshed. I have a crappy computer system, perhaps that has something to do with it... see, if i owned phantom i could afford a better one, lol. But if you notice any severe errors, Those are the ones to tell me about... otherwise, my little problem with sticking words can't really be fixed :p, but thank you for asking... never hesitate to ask people stuff, hehe

I think you know by the title of this chapter that some dramatic things will take place...

Disclaimer: I do not own the Phantom of the Opera, or any of it's characters. (Damn it, I want Gerard Butler!)

Kristen glared fiercely at the woman she now saw before her. Before, at their first meeting, Christine hadn't seemed so bad, but now? It was apparent to her that any woman or man who dared cause Erik harm, was an enemy towards her as well.

Christine took a few steps back, her large brown eyes just laced with fear. Meg watched in disbelief, "Kristen, don't do this... it is not what you think." She said.

"Why are you here Christine?"

"I..." The frightened young woman began, but could not find the inner strength to utter another syllable.

"For crying out loud! Kristen, she is not here to harm your precious Phantom!" Meg snapped, "We have a serious problem, and it must be dealt with."

"The only problem I see before me here is this heartless..."

"NO MORE!" Meg shrieked. "Christine is not here to hurt Erik, she is here to help him!"

"Tell me what is going on Meg, tell me now, or by God you'll wish silence was a non-existent noise."

"Last night, Raoul told Christine he would not leave her side. When she woke up, he was not there... and we do not know where he has gone, but we suspect it has something to do with the Phantom." Meg spoke all in one breath, concluding with a series of rapid inhalations. Kristen gently gasped.

"Why did you even have to come here Christine?" She asked, her voice was not so harsh, but more sad, more worried. "Could you not have sent your wealth through the post? You knew what terrible fate would inevitably befall upon your return."

"Christine didn't know that Erik was still alive" Meg softly defended, "She read the newspaper, everyone thinks he's dead."

"Well not anymore!" Kristen bellowed, "Why must everyone try to bring him down?" she asked, "Why must society shun the first sign of difference?"

"I'm sorry Kristen," Christine stated with a very shaky voice, and said no more. Tears glazed her doe eyes, her fragile form vented distress. She was so delicate, Kristen wondered how she even survived the Phantom kidnapping her. She was sorry? Well she ought to be, Kristen thought, but certainly fighting now would not do a thing to help the situation.

"We will achieve nothing by remaining here" Kristen then said, "We should ascend to your dormitory Meg, we will figure out then what should be done."

Meg nodded, though somewhat annoyed. She would have rather spent the rest of the night sleeping.

"I didn't know... I didn't know for the life of me that he would still be alive." Christine whispered with a hint of despair. Kristen sighed, she was such a child, a frightened little girl who didn't really know anything. She could feel her anger towards the young lady begin to subside, she could not stay angry at someone whose only fault was ignorance.

"He is very scheming." Kristen quietly conveyed, with a smile slightly controlling her lips. She was so kindled by his history of deviousness... that would never end, for sure.

"It is not Erik we are worried about" Meg said, "If Raoul is out to hunt him down, he is only digging his own grave. We cannot have more deaths infesting the Populaire! We'll never return to success if there is more slander."

Let him die, Kristen thought. That foolish man. She hated Christine's husband, even though she should have thanked him with all her heart for taking Christine away, but somehow she hated anything that caused her beloved any kind of pain, including Raoul himself.

Tears were rolling down Christine's cheeks, her trembling right hand covered her mouth as they departed from the hidden tunnels, out into the main passage. "Calm down Christine" Meg said, offering a friendly hand to the crying lady's shoulder, "All will work out fine, just try to believe" She attempted to comfort the girl as much as she could, but her efforts were wasted.

"You've always been so content with believing," Christine murmured. Kristen couldn't believe her ears. If Christine would have spoken those words a little lighter, perhaps they could have been taken as a compliment, but she dared speak to Meg as if she had no clue of what life was... when she herself was a naive little bitch.

Meg was quiet, she only nodded, and continued silently towards her bedchamber. She told herself that Christine was in distress, and she could not be blamed for her harsh tone. Was this her second time being accused of not knowing what she was talking about? She nearly slammed the door against the wall as she opened it, Kristen knew she was offended, but she lacked the courage, or the gall to vent it.

"Where could he be?" Meg questioned, trying to think.

"Perhaps he is with your mother, Meg" Kristen suggested, "He received her rather... deceiving assistance before."

"No more insults" Meg said, "That's in the past, just leave it there!"

"What about the managers?" she then offered. "Perhaps we should question them..."

"What do you think Christine?" Meg asked, but the young woman could only put forth silence. She sat on Meg's bed and covered her eyes with both her hands,

"What is this?" Kristen moved over to Christine's side, and sat with her, "Christine, you must stop this! You mustn't cry, it will help nothing. It is not hopeless, Meg is right, everything will be fine!"

"I sacrificed my future for him!" the crying woman lashed out, "I offered the Phantom my mind, my body, and my soul... and he had the heart to let us go. Now Raoul's going to RUIN ALL THAT BY RETURNING TO DEFEAT OLD DEMONS!" Both Meg and Kristen stood perplexed. Christine was actually snubbing Raoul! Kristen almost laughed... Finally!

"What he is doingis wrong," Meg said, kneeling down before Christine, "And we cannot allow his death. He is not only condemning Erik's act of kindness, he is not only putting himself in danger, but he is also placing the future of the Populaire in jeopardy. For the sake of everyone, we must find him, and put a stop to his horrid goal."

Kristen couldn't believe herself, she actually hugged the countess, "We'll stop him" She said, "We'll save Raoul, and then you can yell at him all you want."

Christine emitted the softest bit of laughter, before wiping away her tears, and agreeing.

"I'll talk with the managers," Kristen said, "Meg, you go with Christine to speak with your mother... we'll finish this thing before it has a chance to get serious." The three girls made their little treaty there in the darkness of Meg's dormitory, then parted their separate ways.

...(Scene shift)...

The Parisian streets were damp, and vacant. The lights of the avenue lanterns were the only illumination, casting their sparkling reflection in the puddles on the pavement. Nadir could not believe he still remembered his old route. As he made his way to the surface, he heard the unmistakable sound of voices, echoing down the alley way near the Rue Scribe.

"You will be paid accordingly," Said one man.

"This will make the front page," Said another. It was evident the other man was English, he spoke French with a strange accent. Then, Nadir recognized this last voice, it could have been no other than Raoul de Chagny himself,

"I want the best of the Parisian navy here by dawn. The Phantom of the Opera still lives, I want him dead!" Apparently, he was utilizing old connections, which had not been disconnected.

Nadir, with his ear pressed against the cold metal of the inner vent, heard the sound of horse hooves and wheels boom through the narrow alley way. Then, a shrill laugh. "I've waited too long for this" the Count said, before Nadir heard his steps travel down the side of the building, and fade off. He was left with the eerie silence of the empty Paris night, and the feeling of sickness in the pit of his stomach. If only he had chosen a different pathway! He wouldn't have had to witness this madness. Raoul and Christine were supposed to be gone! What was Raoul doing here? And was the beautiful Christine here as well? He could only wonder, as he made his way back down into the shadows of the hidden labyrinth. The man wanted Erik dead, Nadir couldn't let that happen! What a revolting turn of events this was.

...(scene shift)...

Useless! Completely useless!Kristen thought angrily to herself as she left the manager's office. First of all, she could not believe that Firmin of all people was passed out on the floor like that, obviously drunk... Secondly, she couldn't believe that Armande wouldn't know anything about Raoul... when the man was a guest under his very roof! Well... Kristen would always look at the Populaire as Erik's domain, but this idiot was the manager, he should know more than nothing!

This was becoming too much. After the frustration of Armande's lack of knowledge, she had searched the Populaire many times over trying to find Christine and Meg. She found them not in Antoinette's quarters, nor in Meg's. She became panicked with the notion that Meg may have taken Christine down to the lair... what would Erik do upon discovering her return? Then it dawned on her... he still didn't know she was back!

She knew the endless tunnels by heart now, and she basically fell to the fifth cellar level... never having gone that fast before. She charged down the last gloomy passage, and burst through the mirror, nearly swinging it off it's hinges. "ER...ik." She paused mid-word. How long had she spent above ground? The first thing she noticed was, no longer did the place seem such a mess. Everything was in order. The strange man was gone. She stepped into the dungeon, closing the mirror door behind her. It was simply beautiful... breathtaking. Erik had said he was going to fix this place, but she never could have imagined...

The same tapestries of red velvet hung from the walls. The once stone cold floor was covered in a sort of carpet, or rug... obviously Persian, with it's abstract designs, the colours also that of warmth... reds, oranges, and slight decorations of green and yellow. The furniture was different, grander, as if stolen from a palace, with victorian design. The organ sat against the wall, beside a brand new desk of dark polished wood, the second desk which would grace this dungeon. On top of it sat heaps of blank pages, books, quill pens and ink. What really caught her breath was the fact that the wooden door was gone, and was replaced by yet another velvet curtain. She was amazed, he'd managed this in the space of three or four hours, how? Well... hewas the Phantom right? capable of anything...

"ERIK?" She called, walking over this new flooring. She came to the hidden kitchen, and walked in. Somehow sheknew he would be in here... as the mention of food had been brought up when that odd looking man made use of Erik's invitation.

"Erik, how did you manage all this?" She asked him. She found him, dressed in the deepest black, polishing the freshly stocked cabinets, putting almost as much care into those panes as he did into his music... which she lamented never hearing much of.

"Kristen!" he turned to her, seemingly startled at her unexpected entrance. She frowned at him, and upon approaching him, she removed that dreadful mask again. This time he did nothing, only accepted her... rules. "You like it?" He asked, taking the mask from her hands and placing it on the wooden counter top.

She nodded in response, "It's gorgeous," She told him, "I'll never understand your magic."

"You know that it's all for you, right?" he asked her softly, looking down into her eyes with an enormous amount of love and devotion. She seemed paralysed once more under his gaze, but would not allow it to last,

"I do," she replied, and embraced him warmly, "Erik, listen... there is something that I have to tell you. I really don't want to say this... but I recall telling you that there must be no secrets between us, and I fear that something is about to blow up in our very faces anyway."

He instantly became concerned, "Kristen, is everything all right?" he asked, holding her at arms length,

As much as she tried to fight them, she lost the battle. Tears began to fall from her eyes. Now Erik knew this was serious, and his heart rate increased with the thought thatshe could be in danger.

"Take me out on the lake?" She asked softly, sniffling.

"A...anything Kristen," He replied, taking her hand and leading her out of the kitchen. She did not see him repossess the mask, and place it within the pocket of his fine black coat. The boat which Nadir had taken, and not returned, was not needed. Kristen was amazed to see him walk to the darkest corner of the shore and drag out another gondola. It was white, beautiful, the shape of a swan at it's front. She nearly snorted, no doubt that boat had once been intended for the use of Christine Daae. She realized that thethought of Christine, and theperson Christine were two different things to her entirely. The lady who had been crying in Meg's room earlier was not the cold hearted monster that Kristen envisioned when she thought of the woman who broke Erik's heart. She could be content with two different perceptions though... being angry wasn'talways so bad.

"My love, tell me what ails you" He whispered to her, as he carried her into the boat. She sat carefully within it's walls, and he sat behind her, retrieving the staff, and moving the boat away from the shore. "You've never asked me to take you out onto the water before," he told her. She could feel his breath brushing against her ear, as he spoke with his head gently against hers. She leaned into him, the curve of her neck against his left shoulder, and her temple against his skin. His one arm wrapped lovingly around her.

"Erik, you'll never leave me?" She asked, sniffling once more, as tears began to make trails down her soft skin. The very question brought from within her a sadness she could not describe. She knew he would say no, but the true answer would only be revealed upon the day he came face to face with Christine de Chagny herself.

"What makes you question such things?" he asked her, "Of course I will never leave you Kristen, I love you." He said, kissing her temple, and holding her closer.

"You loved Christine," She said. He shut his eyes,

"You think I still love her, don't you" he said. "Kristen, you must st..."

"If you had to chose between her and I right now, would you marry Christine, or would you marry me?" she asked. As soon as the words escaped her mouth she wished she had not said them. Sure, the choosing part was fine, but did she have to bring up marriage? Her stupid subconscious! Ever since she was aware of the possibility that she just may be with child, marriage was the only thing she could think of, and now it came out in the moment of it's most minimal expectation.

She thought she heard him stifle a gasp. She turned her head to look up at him, she could feel the muscles in his jaw tightening. She realized her foolish mistake. She could not know whether it was the thought of marriage which held him silent, or the thought of Christine. She turned her head, and rested against him once more... she regretted even asking. This had nothing to do with telling him that Christine was back... it had more to do with her yearning to be officially bound to him. Now, not only was she being vague, but she was being selfish.

"Kristen..." Upon hearing her name from his lips, she sat forward, and turned around to face him,

"Erik, I'm sorry... I am fully aware that I worded that wrongly..."

He took both of her hands, "No, Kristen, you didn't" He said. Now she was burdened by the inability to speak. The boat seemed to drift on it's own, as Erik pulled the staff towards them and allowed it to rest within. He took both of her hands within his again, and she stared up into his jade eyes,

"You have every right to feel this way, after seeing the things you saw within the room I've kept hidden from you for so long." he paused. "Christine Daae... she was the only one naive enough to succumb to the illusion that an angel was speaking to her, and the only one with any real talent here. There was nothing for me here until she came, but my intentions were never to become obsessed with her. She was merely an instrument to me... who could take my music, and let the world hear it. She didn't love me... and in truth, I didn't genuinely love her either... I've never known love, Kristen, I could not distinguish between love and obsession, until you came into my life."

His words brought to her eyes an increased amount of tears. She could not believe he was saying these things to her, she could not believe that someone so genius, so unbelievable... could feel so strongly towards her.

"You hated me, remember?" He asked her, warmly cupping her cheek with the palm of his hand. She looked up at him and smiled through her tears, she didn't know whether they were out of sadness now, or joy. "But then you saved me, from everything I was afraid of. She could have never done what you did for me, what you do for me... and I've never felt, for anyone, what I feel for you. Kristen, if you're asking me to chose between you and Daae..."

Her eyes closed, which ironically had the effect of an opening flood gate, allowing tears to flow non stop down her beautiful face. This was almost too much for her,

"I choose you, Kristen," he whispered to her, holding her hands a bit tighter. She opened her eyes, which were at once met with his.

"If she were here now... you would not want to be with her?" she asked.

"I would not" he said strongly, and brought her to him... taking extreme care not to disturb the boat. She was literally lifted and brought to sit atop his thighs, her arms around his neck, "You are the only woman I care about Kristen."

She gently sighed. She'd got the answer she was looking for... but not in the right way. "You don't believe me?" He asked her.

"I believe you." She told him, "It's just that when I apologized for wording my question wrong, you told me that I didn't, and I expected... more, I guess."

"More?" He asked... then he realized. The confused expression was quickly abolished from his features, and replaced with understanding. "You asked me who I would marry..."

She nodded slowly. This was wrong... all wrong. She didn't want it to be like this... she was basically proposing tohim now! when she'd dreamed of seeing him kneel down before her and offerher the engagement ring. First of all, that was ruined now, secondly, he could never get away with that in a boat upon these misty waters.

He carefully wiped the tears from her face, and looked into her crying eyes, "You really want that, don't you?" he softly voiced. She sniffled yet again, and nodded. He brought her down into a loving embrace, holding her in such a comforting way.

She felt him take her hand in his, "Then... we shall be married," he told her. Now she nearly broke down, as she saw him take from his pocket a small golden ring, with several stones of red, possibly rubies, embedded within it's beauty. "Marry me, Kristen," he said, handing her the ring. It would be useless now to try and dry her tears...like a flood, they would not stop. She took the ring within her shaking hands. When he saw that she was too astounded to make any sort of action, he gently took the ring from her and placed it upon the ring finger of her left hand.

Her heart was beating almost painfully against her ribs, her mind was a mess of thoughts. As if the light at the end of darkness was presenting itself, she could feel. She could feel so much, as if her life was starting all over again. She tightly wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him madly, completely forgetting about why she had brought him there in the first place.