Authors note: Stars in heaven! I hate 'other woman' fic's! Sorry that this took so long but I have the new Casanova-fic' on my hands, or on my screen that I simply couldn't waste, but I appreciate your patience and here is chapter seven! 0;)

Ten o'clock, and Christine still hadn't arrived. Erik was growing impatient, after that intoxicating wake up that he had received this morning he had started to count the hours before the evening came, not even music could keep his mind of from her. Today he had experienced the best morning of his life, how many times hadn't he dreamt about waking up next to her? If she only knew what she was doing to him, had always been doing to him. The day when he had seen her through new eyes was the day when he had seen her as a woman for the first time. She was fifteen and the knowledge that she was starting to blossom had escaped him until one day when he went to the dormitories to look after her. She had been all alone and started to remove her ballet costume. Erik had scolded himself at first for this perverted peeking as he hid in the shadows but he found he couldn't tear his eyes from her as she stood in only her corset and underwear's.

All of a sudden Christine had curves, rounded hips and a waist that belonged to a nymph, she was slim and her body was that of a goddess well toned and fit. His eyes had travelled up from her feet, past her hips and belly and suddenly froze as she started to remove her corset. She still wore her chemise but what had made Erik stare like an insane man was the small pair of buds that adorned her chest. Erik felt his breath quicken, his blood boil, his heart racing and more parts of his body had started to rouse. He suddenly realised that he was in love. He had never seen a woman like this, he had encountered many intercourses in the opera house but they had all seemed vulgar and inhuman, the fact that she wasn't entirely nude made her even more desirable, he imagined what she would look like in her naked glory. His imagination moved further as he imagined himself with her in bed, worshipping her, tasting her luscious mouth, smelling her sweet fragrance and touching her softness. Just the feel of her in his arms would be pure heaven and pure torture at the same time.

His dreams about her had increased more every day and not only had her voice become an addiction but she herself was like a drug to his senses. He had started drawing portraits of her, since he couldn't have her with him. He had always been quite possessive and was determined to have her for his own so the thought of marriage had came across his mind and he had designed a wedding dress especially for her. By lord he loved her, always had! But it wasn't until she turned sixteen and that blasted boy had become a threat after her grand debut that he decided to reveal himself.

The clock chimed eleven, and he couldn't stand it any more, he had been waiting long enough. If she wasn't coming to him he was coming to her. He made his way through the gardens and walked around the manor in order to find her room. He wore his cloak in case anybody would lay eyes on him. He stopped his walking when he saw a light coming from a room at one of the higher floors and out at a balcony stood his love in a nightgown and combed her hair which had been recently washed, allowing the soft night air dry it.

Erik smiled and admired his angel for a brief moment before she turned and started to go back inside.

Christine cursed her hair for taking so long time drying. Erik was waiting for her and the day had swept away too fast! She had been trying to hide herself during most of it in case Raoul would show up again and that hiding place had been in one of the many, dusty attics.

She felt the wind blow across the room for a second and turned around to find the doors to the balcony open. Odd, she thought she was certain that she had closed them. She closed them again, turned around and almost jumped out of her skin when she saw him standing completely calm, in her room!

"Oh, you scared the life out of me!" she said and placed her hand above her heart as if trying to relax it's beating. He was wearing his cloak and a white shirt which showed his chest partly and black trousers.

Erik didn't say anything, he just stepped forward, letting his cloak fall from his shoulders and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"How did you get up here?"

"I have my ways, Angel." He smiled and noticed how she trembled beneath his touch.

"Are you cold, my love?" he asked. If he only knew the effect he had on her, before she answered he swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. The fire was cracking peacefully. He sat down behind her on the bed and pulled her up in his lap. He took the comb that she still held in her hand and started combing her hair with long strokes that made her close her eyes in enjoyment, he braided it for her when it was a bit dryer, separating the thick mass into three and started to braid it. She sighed as he finished and leaned back against his chest.

"Why did you come here?" she asked.

"Why did you take so long?" he asked back.

Should she tell him that Raoul had been at the manor earlier? No, she decided. Sighing she explained why and that she had been at the attic almost the entire day, looking at old things from her childhood, which is one of the most dirtiest places in this house and a bath seemed in order afterwards. Erik chuckled and embraced from behind.

"I missed you, that's the reason why I decided to come."

"Really?"

"Mhm" he said and started massaging her shoulders. He close his eyes in enjoyment, embedding this moment in his senses, he buried his face in her hair and inhaled the flowery scent from her earlier bath. Only the fire and a few candles were illuminating the room.

Christine yawned and blushed afterwards.

"You are tired, Angel. Spending almost the entire day in the attic is exhausting, isn't it?" Christine understood that he was teasing her and she slapped him playfully across his arm.

"I shall leave you" he said and but Christine stopped him.

"No! Stay for a little longer and read for me" she begged.

"Read? Read what?" he asked and Christine grasped the book on the bedside table that was decorated with gold and cherubs playing instruments. "Little Lotte" said the title with large curving letters.

Erik kicked his shoes off and pulled the cover's over them, Christine was still leaning against his chest and relaxed.

He flipped through the pages and stopped when he noticed the pressed flower fall out from the book. He picked it up and immediately recognised it.

"But...?" he said and examined it closely. Christine looked up.

"I thought I crushed this at the roof."

"You did, it wasn't until the next day I realised that I had dropped it."

Erik looked down at her, the rose brought back the pain he had felt that night, he wouldn't blame Christine for it. But the vision of her and that boy had made him want to scream so loud that the entire Paris would hear it.

"So I went back up and retrieved it." That made him smile, during her childish crush she still thought of her Angel.

"It is the only thing that I have had left of you, except my memories."

"And you've kept it all the time? Even before 'Don Juan' and everything?"

"Yes. I pressed to be able to save it." Erik felt how his eyes started to fill with tears again, would she always move him like this? He wouldn't allow himself to tempt fate by asking. He moved his head so his lips touched her temple.

"Thank you" he whispered softly before he opened the book and started to read. His voice felt softer than silk as he read the words she had heard so many times but never got tired of. The fire warmed her and his enfolding arms did too. She felt how her eyelids turned heavy after a while, but she wanted to stay awake and listen to him.

Erik noticed her tiredness and closed the book after finishing a chapter. She moaned in protest as he put the rose on the page where they had stopped and laid it on the bedside table. She reached out her hand to stop him but he took it and brought it to his lips.

"Relax, I'll stay with you till you fall asleep."

"Thank you" she said and laid back again. "Sing for me" she said later and he started to whisper her to sleep with 'the Angel of music'.